


Wherever you go

by Laughingvirus



Series: Tied to you by the string of fate [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Gore, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-11-13 02:04:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 49,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18022760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laughingvirus/pseuds/Laughingvirus
Summary: Once upon a time. That's how it always begins.





	1. The beginning of everything

 

 

 

 

It was cloudy, the setting sun peeking through the gray veil every now and then and filtered in through the cracks between the dark curtains. A cauldron was on the fire in the corner of the large room, a deep red liquid bubbling as Felix stirred it gently. His brows were furrowed in concentration as he reached for some basil leaves, tossing them into the mix. He would have to strain the potion later either way.

He jumped in surprise, almost knocking over the glass bottles beside him, as a loud roar suddenly echoed over the forest and he snapped his head up. He could almost feel the forest holding its breath before something impacted. Trees snapped in loud, deafening cracks and the ground shook from the impact.

Felix quickly abandoned his potion, rushing to the door. He looked up to the sky, for any sign of what had happened. He could see smoke rising from the forest and his heart leaped. Was the forest on fire? A million questions rushed through his mind, all at once as he went back into the house to grab his bag. He threw it over his shoulder and ran.

As he ran through the woods, he was met with animals fleeing the scene and his heart sped up even more. He didn’t know what was going on or what to expect as he ran. The smell of sulfur was heavy in the air but Felix could also pick up the faint, metallic smell of blood. As he got closer, both the smell of blood and sulfur intensified and he could feel heat radiating from something. It wasn’t like the heat of fire, but close enough. He continued to run, fear twisting in his gut and his heart loud in his ears.

Then he stopped, whole body locking up and he stared at the sight in front of him.

In front of him was a clearing, forcefully made by a large, black dragon. Heat was rolling off it in waves, its scales torn and blood was soaking the forest floor as it was breathing heavily. Its mouth was slightly open, black smoke rising towards the sky as it continued breathing in deep huffs.

Felix swallowed hard. He was aware of the war between the humans and the dragons, but he knew it took place far away from this forest. The dragon must have been injured in the battle and tried to get home.

“Hey,” he called out carefully, taking a deep breath before approaching. He glanced around the area, trying to see if there was any fire around. There was a few trees, snapped in half because of the dragon, that were charred, but no fire.

The dragon inhaled, making an attempt to get up but it let out a pained cry and it dropped its head down again. It looked like it wanted to leave, wings twitching and a low growl rumbling in its chest.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Felix said, as soothingly as he could. He bit his lip, holding up both his hands as the dragon turned its head to look at him. “Please,” he murmured as the dragon stared at him, yellow eyes seemingly piercing his soul. “I-I just want to help,” he continued, breathing a sigh of relief when the dragon laid its head down again, the twitching of its muscles ceasing.

He looked the dragon over, quickly assessing what wound he needed to attend to first. There was a large piercing wound in its gut, blood still seeping out from it and he swallowed hard. He needed to get the dragon to shift back to humanoid if he wanted to stitch it up. As he approached the dragon, he held up his hands to show the dragon he didn’t intend any harm.

The dragon was large and as it laid on its side, Felix just barely reached up to the wound that had ripped scales and torn the flesh. He placed his hand on the warm scales, blood soaking them immediately. He didn’t have a lot of magic but he should have enough to at least get the dragon away from death’s door.

Felix closed his eyes, murmuring the incantation under his breath and he felt his hands growing even warmer. The dragon let out a pained hiss and Felix bit his tongue. As he looked at the wound, it didn’t look like the healing magic had helped any but the blood flow had slowed down. Hopefully he had managed to save some of the damaged organs.

“I n-need you to shift,” Felix said, stumbling over his words. He wasn’t sure what the dragon was going to do. He had never met a dragon before, only heard of them and from what he had heard, they were quick to anger and could easily lash out. He really wanted to avoid that.

The dragon raised its head, turning to look at Felix. Felix exhaled shakily, his heart hammering in his chest as the dragon looked at him with sharp, yellow eyes. His whole body was trembling as he stood there, frozen and face to face with a dragon. The smell of blood and sulfur was so strong in the air Felix almost felt dizzy as his blood rushed in his ears. The dragon exhaled, a puff of warm air hitting Felix’s face.

Then suddenly, the dragon was gone. Felix blinked and suddenly there was a man on the forest floor, laying in the pool of blood that the dragon had left and panting heavily. He was handsome, underneath all the blood that stained his neck and half of his face. He had a strong, angular chin, a straight nose and thick lips parted as he struggled to breath. His face was tense and he let out a small, pained groan.

“Can you hear me?” Felix asked, crouching down beside the man. He nodded, eyelids heavy and yellow eyes glossed over as he grimaced. He looked to be in terrible pain and Felix quickly opened his bag, looking for anything to help.

“I can,” the man confirmed, groaning in pain again. His voice was gruff, low and his breaths were short. Felix stomach churned as he pulled out the dried rose petals. He crushed them in his hands, whispering a small incantation before opening his hands.

“Breathe this in,” he instructed, holding out his hand towards the man. There was a very small and faint cloud of smoke rising from the crushed petals in his palm. The man did as told and Felix watched as his eyelids grew even heavier before eventually closing. As he closed his eyes, Felix let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and his limbs felt heavy. He had used way too much magic. Felix looked around the forest then down at the man again, his shoulders slumping.

He took a deep breath before starting to remove the black leather armor. The wound would probably need to be stitched up and he needed to do that back in his cottage, to minimize the risk of an infection. As he moved the stiff leather, he nodded a bit to himself. The wound was large and definitely needed to be stitched up. Felix sighed, looking around the forest again. He needed to get the man out of here, before the humans arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felix carefully placed the man down on his bed, his arms exhausted and he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He wasn’t sure how he had managed to get the man back to his cottage but he felt relieved that he did. It would be much easier to stitch him up now, in a more controlled environment.

The man was still asleep, breathing heavy and even with his face relaxed. Felix took a deep breath, his eyelids starting to feel heavy from all the magic he had used. He couldn’t fall asleep yet, he needed to get the man stitched up.

He looked the man over before leaving to get a needle, thread and alcohol from the other room. The sun had completely set, the outside no longer providing any light so on his way back, Felix brought a large candle and a tinderbox with him.

He placed everything on the bedside table, pulling a chair over to the side of the bed. He lit the candle and sighed. The light wasn’t great, but that would have to do. He went back to the other room, getting a bucket of water and a clean rag before returning. He sat down at the bed and he rolled up his sleeves, trying his very best to focus on the man as he carefully began to remove the leather armor and undershirt.

As a dragon, the wound had looked like a nasty and round piercing wound but as a humanoid, the wound itself looked a bit different. It was a rather large stab wound, obvious that something had pierced his abdomen on the right side but also ripped the skin like a slash to the left. The blood was starting to coagulate, but it was still somewhat shiny and reflecting the faint, flickering light of the candle. The blood around the wound had dried, flaking off and the skin was red and swollen.

Felix reached to take the rag, dipping it into the water as he began to clean the blood off the man’s skin. As the blood was removed, he got a much better look of the wound and and he bit the inside of his cheek. The edges of the wound were jagged, starting to curl back and away from the wound. This was _bad._

He placed the rag to the side, reaching to take the needle and thread. After he had threaded the needle, he took the alcohol to pour some of it over the needle. It had been a while since he had done stitches. He took a deep breath, placing a hand on the man’s torso. He kept his eyes fixed at the wound as he pushed the needle into the skin.

The man let out a groan and Felix snapped his head to the side to stare at him, praying that the sleep spell wasn’t wearing off. That didn’t seem to be the case as the man relaxed again, furrowed eyebrows relaxing and Felix turned back to the wound.

He pushed the needle through the other side of the wound, pulling the thread through the two punctures before pushing the needle through the skin again. He continued with the stitches, pulling the two sides of the skin together as he went along. As he tied the knot at the end, he let his eyes wander over his work. It wasn’t perfect, far from it actually. But it would do. Hopefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felix could hear rustling from behind the door leading into his bedroom and he quickly abandoned the tea he was making. He needed to make sure the man didn’t move too quickly or tore up the stitches. He swallowed hard as he pushed the door open.

“Please don’t move,” he said as he entered. The man, blond hair sweaty and damp as it was plastered to his forehead, was currently trying to get dressed again. He froze the second Felix entered, eyes wide as he stared at him. “Please don’t,” Felix repeated, voice softer this time.

“Who are you?” the man demanded, moving again but he grimaced as he pulled on the stitches. “Why are you helping me?”

“I’m Felix,” Felix said, holding up his hands. “Please don’t try to move. You need to rest,” he repeated. The man dropped his arms to the side and Felix carefully approached. The man didn’t protest as Felix gently pushed him to sit down again.

“Where am I?” the man asked, meeting Felix’s gaze.

“Bonamore woods,” Felix said gently, giving the man a tight lipped smile as he froze. “You’re in the human territory, yes.”

“Why are you helping me?” the man asked, narrowing his eyes. Felix was silent for a moment, shifting his attention to the wounds on the man’s abdomen instead. “You’re a human? Shouldn’t you-” He bit back a cry in pain. “Shouldn’t you have killed me?”

“I’m not a human,” Felix murmured, looking back to meet the man’s gaze as he brushed his fingers over his ear. “Half-elf.”

There was a pause and Felix straightened his back. He was about to turn around to go and get some tea for the man, when he spoke again.

“Did they cut your ears off?”

“No,” Felix said, shaking his head with a sad smile on his lips. “My mother cut the tips. To protect me,” he said. “Do you want tea?”

The man didn’t reply, he just nodded mutely. Felix gave him a short nod, turning around to go and get the tea for the man. As he poured the hot water into the cup, he let his mind wander. The humans would probably come looking for the dragon. A dragon falling from the sky is quite hard to miss. If they went into the woods to look for the dragon, they would appear on Felix’s doorstep. They knew he lived here.

Felix inhaled sharply. They needed to leave as soon as possible.

He took the cup and walked back to the room. “Here you go,” he said, holding out the cup for the man.

“Chan,” he said as he took the cup in his hand and Felix’s blinked. “My name is Chan.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Chan,” Felix said, nodding his head. “I wish the circumstances would be better.”

“Yes,” Chan murmured, staring out into empty space before snapping his eyes back to look at Felix. “I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience I caused.”

Felix chuckled, shaking his head as he took a chair from the side of the room, sitting down. “I don’t think you actually intended to fall from the sky,” he said and Chan’s shoulders slumped. “I… I’m afraid you have to leave as quickly as possible though. I think the humans will… try to hunt you and seeing that you fell into these woods…” He took a deep breath. “They will come here.”

“Oh,” Chan said, placing the cup on the bedside table before attempting to stand up. Felix bolted up from the chair and up to Chan, gently pushing his shoulders so he would sit down again.

“I said as soon as possible, not immediately,” he murmured and the dragon sighed. “At least stay the night. I do not have enough magic to completely heal the wound, but I think I can help at least a little.”

“I would appreciate it greatly,” Chan said, gritting his teeth as he placed a hand on his abdomen. “I need to get back to my kingdom.”

Felix nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Drink your tea, it should help speed up the healing and go back to sleep,” he said, turning around to leave the room. “I’ll be out here, just call if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Chan said, yellow eyes ernest as he stared at Felix. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Felix said, pushing the door open before throwing Chan a glance over his shoulder. “Get some rest.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Felix entered the room the following morning, Chan was already up and about to get dressed. The wound hadn’t healed, not the slightest and Felix sighed as he saw Chan trying to move normally, hissing as he pulled at the stitches. He placed the bowl of water on the bedside table before walking over to Chan.

“Let me help you,” he offered and Chan sighed, arms dropping to his side in defeat. Felix leaned down to pick up the undershirt from the floor. He paused, frowning as he stared at the bandage wrapped around Chan’s abdomen. “Sit down on the bed, I think I have to check your stitches.”

Chan didn’t say anything, he mutely obeyed and sat down on the bed. His blond hair was messy, part of it sticking to his sweaty forehead.

“Why do you live out here alone?” Chan asked as Felix unwrapped the bandages. Felix sighed, biting his lip as he eyed the stitches. The skin around the edges were angry red, the skin still not mending as it should have. Felix’s gut churned uncomfortably. Chan wasn’t going to be able to travel alone; not like this. But he couldn’t stay either. “Shouldn’t you… shouldn’t you be living among your kin?”

“I was born and raised in this kingdom,” Felix said, focus still on the wound as he reached for a new bandage. “I suppose I never saw a reason to leave. But… but the humans know I’m not fully human. They will come here first.”

“I see,” Chan murmured and Felix sighed as he began to wrap a new bandage around Chan’s abdomen. “I’ll take my leave then.”

“You won’t be able to travel alone,” Felix said, finally looking up from the bandages as he fastened it tightly. Chan frowned, eyes narrowing. “The wound is going to need to be cared of and…” He took a deep breath. “You should not shift until it’s healed.”

“What?”

“I’ve helped shifters before, severely injured shifters,” Felix murmured. “If you shift, you risk to either rip something when your body changes shape or might get stuck in one shape. Considering you just had your stomach stitched up, you might rip all stitches and trust me… you do not want that.”

Chan was quiet for a second. “What do you suggest then?” he asked slowly, brows furrowing. Felix studied Chan’s face for a moment, glancing down at the wound before meeting his gaze again.

“I’ll travel with you,” he said, watching as Chan’s eyes widened for a second before he narrowed his eyes.

“Why would you…” He took a deep breath, running a hand through his blond hair. “I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but why would you travel with me?”

Felix bit his lip, pondering the question for a moment. “I guess I want to get out of here,” he said, watching as Chan’s eyes widened for just a second.

“I see,” he said calmly, taking a deep breath but let out a grunt of pain. “I will not say no to help.” He paused, yellow eyes eyeing Felix closely. “When do we leave?”

“Tonight,” Felix said. He wanted to give Chan as much time as possible to rest before they had to leave. “You should eat a little and then sleep. You’re going to need it.”

Chan didn’t reply, he just nodded and kept his eyes on Felix as Felix left the room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the darkness fell, Felix threw a last glance over his shoulder at the cottage that had been his home for more than six years. He was holding onto Chan’s arm, helping him stay on his legs and as his eyes lingered on the cottage, Chan turned to look as well.

“I’m sorry,” Chan whispered as Felix began to walk again, bringing Chan with him. “I’m sorry you have to leave everything behind like this.”

“No,” Felix murmured, shaking his head. “It’s fine,” he continued and Chan nodded. “I’ve been living here for far too long…” he trailed off and he could feel Chan’s eyes on him. If Chan wanted to ask him about it, he kept the question to himself and Felix appreciated that.

They walked slowly, taking it in Chan’s pace and Felix’s gut twisted uncomfortably as he kept his eyes on him. Chan shouldn’t even be out of bed in this stage, not when his whole abdomen had been stitched up. The movement could risk the stitches getting ripped and Felix just prayed that it wouldn’t.

“What do we do if the humans finds us?” Chan asked, breaking the silence. Felix pondered the question for a moment before sighing.

“I don’t know… I’m just praying they don’t,” he said, glancing over at Chan. Chan didn’t look convinced at all. “Our best plan right now is just to hide.”

“I don’t… I mean I don’t have any other suggestion so I guess… I guess that’ll have to do,” Chan said, sighing heavily and Felix nodded. “I’m not to much use like this, am I?”

“Sadly no,” Felix said, shaking his head a little. “We need to travel as far as possible tonight and tomorrow… We’ll see.”

“We can continue traveling the whole day tomorrow,” Chan said but Felix shook his head again.

“You’re not really in the shape to travel at all,” Felix pointed out, giving Chan’s arm a pat. “We will travel until you have to rest again, okay?”

Chan sighed, defeat written all over his face. “Okay.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had to travel through most parts of the night, only stopping a little to rest before continuing. It was worrying, as Chan should not be up and moving when his stomach could split open at any moment now.

When they had stopped for dinner, Felix had made the call to stop to sleep. As Chan ate, Felix pulled out the thin silver thread he had brought along and placed it in a circle, murmuring some words of protection as he did.

“Is that going to help?” Chan asked and Felix looked up from the thread as he finished the small circle. Chan’s hair was damp, sticking to his sweaty forehead and his eyes were glossy. He didn’t eat much, mostly just poking around at the food and he looked exhausted.

“Yeah,” he replied and Chan nodded. He didn’t look good at all. “Let’s lay you down, okay?” Felix said and Chan hummed, placing the bowl to the side. Felix moved over, thankful that they had already rolled out the only bedroll and he helped Chan to lay down, a hand resting at Chan’s back.

“Where are you going to sleep?” Chan asked, voice small and slurred as he laid back; he winced a little, shifting to make himself comfortable. Felix gave him a quick look before reaching for Chan’s discarded robe, bundling up to make a makeshift pillow under his head and Chan murmured a quiet ‘thank you’.

“I’ll solve it, don’t worry,” Felix said, pressing his wrist against Chan’s sweaty forehead and he hummed. “You’re a bit warm,” he continued and Chan let out a groan. “We’ll try to bring it down,” he murmured, reaching for his bag and he pulled out a rag. He soaked it in water and pressed it to Chan’s forehead.

“I feel awful,” Chan whispered as Felix worked on getting his fever down.

“Understandable,” Felix said. There was a pause as Felix continued to dab the rag against Chan’s forehead. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah,” Chan replied, eyes blinking open. “Ask away.”

“What is happening in Uilér Nor?” he asked, noting the twitch in Chan’s eyebrows. “I don’t know a lot but I hear some whispers sometimes… Is there a rift between the realms there?”

“Oh,” Chan said softly, taking a deep breath. “I think there is one, yeah,” he said, words slurring together. “We haven’t paid much attention to that yet… Even if there is a rift and despite the magic just seeping out from the Ariodor realm…” He inhaled, his eyes glossed over and Felix’s gut twisted uncomfortably. “The war with the humans has been a… more pressing matter.”

“Of course,” Felix said, pouring more water on the rag to cool it down further. “You should go to sleep,” he said and Chan hummed, eyelids heavy. “Get some rest.”

Chan didn’t reply, he just closed his eyes and shifted a little to make himself comfortable. As his breathing evened out and got slower, Felix placed the rag to the side. He reached for his bag, quickly going through the dried herbs he had brought with him. Chan groaned a little, eyebrows knitted together and face twisted into a grimace. Felix bit the inside of his cheek; he needed to do something about the fever.

He took the boneset, gripping it tightly in one hand as he placed the other hand on Chan’s warm forehead. He muttered an incantation under his breath, closing his eyes as the boneset in his hand grew warmer. He tried to focus on the fever, trying to lower the temperature. Magic coursed through his body, down his arms and to the hand he held pressed against Chan’s forehead.

With a gasp, he snapped his eyes open. He was panting, he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and he had a metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He reached up to dry the sweat off his forehead when he felt something warm on his lip. When he pulled his fingers back, he grimaced as he saw the blood.

He cursed quietly under his breath as he stood up, his body feeling heavy and he took a piece of a bandage, quickly drying the blood. He looked back at Chan, who looked more peaceful now; his face was relaxed and his breathing steady and calm. Felix sighed, feeling exhausted as he slumped against a tree not far from Chan. His eyelids were heavy as he took one last glance at Chan. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the tree and let sleep claim him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chan had woken up with the fever gone and even managed to sit up by himself, which was a bit of a surprise actually. Felix, feeling a lot better after getting some rest, was already picking up the silver thread as Chan woke up.

“How are you feeling?” he asked and Chan looked over at him, a hand resting on his abdomen. He was quiet for a second, furrowing his brows.

“I feel alright,” he said and Felix nodded, walking over to him to help him back on his feet. “Did you get any rest? I feel bad for taking the only bedroll,” he continued but Felix shook his head as he dropped down to roll up the bedroll.

“I got enough rest, please don’t worry about me,” he said, standing up. Chan gave him a long look as he slung the bedroll over his shoulder, tying it to his back. “We have to get going right away,” he said and Chan nodded. Felix picked up his shoulder bag and then he grabbed Chan by the arm to gently tug him along.

The path in the forest was empty and the only sounds that could be heard were the ones of nature. The path was slowly getting wider as they walked, which meant that they were getting closer to the edge of the forest. As soon as they got out of the forest, it would be so much easier for them to blend in and avoid the possible search team that would be sent to find the dragon.

After about half an hour, Chan was walking by himself but Felix kept a close eye on him, his whole body on alert.

“Here,” Felix said, breaking the silence as he pulled out a piece of bread from his bag. “It’s not a lot but it’s all we have right now. I could have gone and looked for more food but… I guess I needed that rest too. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Chan said slowly, taking the piece of bread from Felix. “Are you sure I can take this? If this is all that’s left, shouldn’t-”

“You need it more than I do,” Felix said calmly, focusing on the road ahead as the forest opened in front of them. Silence fell between the two of them as Chan ate. They continued to walk, pace slow and in the warm sunlight of spring, it all just seemed so peaceful. It somehow didn’t seem like they were on the run from something.

“Can I ask you something?” Chan broke the silence and Felix took his eyes off the road, nodding a little and he waited for Chan to ask the question. “Are you a trained healer?”

“In human healing, I am,” he said and Chan hummed. “My mother was the healer of the village I grew up in. She taught me everything she could before she passed away.”

“I’m sorry,” Chan said but Felix shook his head. “I didn’t-”

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Nothing can be done anymore and she’s in a better place now. Time has healed that wound.”

“Oh.”

“As for magic,” he continued. “I never really received any training in it, considering my mother is a human. I’ve always been able to mend small cuts but when my mother I…” he trailed off, biting his lip. “I left the village I grew up in, when my mother died,” he said, shrugging a little. “When I lived in the forest I just… started practicing by myself. I’d say I know a lot about healing magic, but I do not have a lot of magic.”

“What do you mean?” Chan asked, tilting his head a little.

“I just mean that…” He paused, unsure of how to explain it. “We all have this source of magic to take from, right?” Chan nodded. “Since I’m only half elf, I don’t have a lot of magic so I… I can’t do much with my magic. Which is why I can’t heal you fully.”

“Ah,” Chan said softly, nodding his head a little. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah,” Felix said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry I can’t heal it fully.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Chan said, shaking his head and a small smile stretched on his lips. “You’re doing more than enough for me. I appreciate it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Pull your hood up,” Felix said and Chan looked over at him. He frowned but pulled the hood of his cloak up. “We’re about to enter a human city,” he continued and he could hear Chan snort.

“Why are we entering a human city?” Chan asked, voice a little hushed. “Shouldn’t we avoid it?”

“We should,” Felix confirmed. “But we need supplies. We still have a very long journey ahead of us and we need everything we can get out hands on,” he said before Chan could protest. “We’ll be as quick as we can. It shouldn’t be any problems because it’s still daytime.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Chan asked, pulling back his hood a little again so Felix could see his face. He was still frowning, yellow eyes narrowed.

“During the nighttime, the human cities close their gates and more guards are on duty,” Felix explained, pulling out a pair of leather gloves from his bag and quickly slipped them on. “During daytime, you just nod as you pass the guards and they don’t ask any questions. If it had been nighttime, we would have been stopped and they would… probably figure out that you’re not exactly human.”

“Oh.”

“Pull your hood down again,” Felix intructed and Chan did as told, pulling his hood down to obscure his eyes. “We’ll try to be as fast as possible though.”

“Yes please,” Chan murmured as they approached the gate leading into the city.

Felix straightened his back, letting his eyes wander casually over the two guards that were standing casually on one side of the gate, before moving to scan the wall. There were no guards on the wall, meaning there hadn’t been an alert of a dragon in this kingdom or something like that. Felix took a sigh of relief.

He gave the two guards a nod as they passed and the guards merely nodded, acknowledging their passage before they went back to chatting. The small town of Daln was busy in the middle of the day. Felix knew that the market in the center marketplace of town was bustling at this hour and that meant that the other streets would be less busy. He gently took Chan’s arm, pulling him closer so he wouldn’t get lost as they made it through the busy streets.

“People are looking,” Chan pointed out, leaning a bit closer to Felix.

“I know,” Felix murmured, worry turning in his gut. “But I think we’re… going to be okay,” he continued, trying to not let his nervousness show. “I don’t think they’re expecting us here just yet.”

Chan nodded, remaining quiet as they continued to make their way to the shop. Like Felix had been expecting, the further they got from the city center square, the less busy the streets would be. There were only a few other people on the street as they turned left and entered the building.

The bell on the door chimed gently and the person behind the desk looked up from the heavy leather bound book on the counter. Felix recognized the girl, chubby cheeks with round eyes, straight eyebrows, soft brown hair reaching below her shoulders and covering the jagged edges of her ears.

“Felix!” she greeted, smile stretching on her lips and she smoothened down the worn leather apron she was wearing before shifting her gaze to Chan. “And a friend?” She looked back at Felix, raising an eyebrow.

“You can take the hood off,” Felix said, as it was only the three of them in the store. Chan did as told, pushing the hood down.

“I’m Chan,” he said slowly, letting his gaze wander over the store.

“I’m Jinsook,” Jinsook said, taking a good look at Chan. “Where in the world did you find a dragon?” she asked, voice hushed.

“Would you believe me if I said he fell from the sky?” Felix asked and she just gave him an unimpressed look. “He was on his way back to his kingdom after being injured…” Felix shrugged and Jinsook hummed.

“I was fortunate that Felix found me,” Chan butted in, shifting his yellow eyes over to look at Jinsook.

“Indeed you were,” she said, gesturing for the two of them to come closer. “There was an alert this morning and a search party was sent out into the Bonamore woods,” she said and Felix felt a shiver run down his spine. They had so narrowly avoided the search party then. “But from what I’ve gathered they didn’t know what they were looking for.”

“How do you know?” Chan asked, frowning.

“I have some friends among the guards,” she replied, shrugging as she looked over to Felix. “They are increasing the guards around here though. You two should get going as quickly as you can,” she continued and Felix nodded. “Minho was found out two weeks ago.”

“He what?” Felix asked, eyes widening and Jinsook sighed, shoulders dropping. “They found out?” She nodded. “What happened?”

“I don’t know how they found out, but he got here… told me he had been found out and he left. He’s heading towards the dragons kingdom, if he hasn’t been caught,” she said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “I’m praying he’s alright and…” She sighed, shaking her head. “I want this war to be over.”

“Me too,” Felix mumbled, running a hand through his hair. “But we really need to get out of here quickly. Chan is too easy to notice and we need to continue before the sun starts setting.”

“Ah, yes of course,” Jinsook said, straightening her back. “What do you need?”

“We need a tent, a bedroll, two medicine kits, more bandage, a waterskin, a mess kit and rations,” Felix said and Jinsook nodded along as he listed the things they needed. “Do you have all of that?”

“We should,” Jinsook mused, rubbing her chin. “I’m fairly certain we have most of those things, except the tent. I’m going to have to double check the tent.”

“You do not have any healing potions I assume?” he asked, knowing the answer and he sighed as she shook her head.

“Sorry,” she said, giving him an apologetic smile. “Give me a minute as I gather the things,” she continued and she walked through the door to the back of the store, the one that led into the a large storage room.

“Is she to be trusted?” Chan asked quietly, staying close to Felix with his eyes glued to the doorway. “She won’t sell you out to the guards?”

“We’ve been friends for four years,” Felix whispered and Chan hummed. “If she wanted to sell me out, she would have done that already.”

“Okay,” Chan replied slowly, still not taking his eyes off the doorway. “Just wanted to make sure.”

Felix nodded, pressing his lips together. They continued to wait in silence and Felix could just feel himself growing more and more restless as they waited for Jinsook to return. They needed to get out of this city _now._ They needed to continue their journey.

“We actually had a tent,” Jinsook said as she returned from the back of the shop, arms full of things. Felix immediately began to pack it; he placed the medicine kits and the bandages in his bag.

“Do you have another bag?” he asked and Jinsook hummed, pulling out a smaller leather bag from under the counter.

“I’m assuming it’s for the rations and for Chan,” she said, packing the rations, the new waterskin, mess kit and attached the bedroll to the bag and held it out for Chan. “You shouldn’t carry too much weight right now,” she continued as he took the bag from her, thanking her quietly.

“Thank you, Jinsook,” Felix said as he took the tent. The tent itself worked like a backpack, which was great because Felix could tie his bedroll to it instead of just carrying his bedroll alone and his shoulder bag on the side. He dug into his pocket, pulling out two gold coins.

“Just one is fine,” Jinsook said, handing one of the coins back to him. “Now get out of here.”

Felix took a deep breath, nodding. “Thank you,” he said again, grabbing Chan’s arm; Chan pulled his hood up and over his eyes again. He threw Jinsook a last glance and she just offered him a tight lipped smile and a nod. He pushed the door open, pulling Chan along.

The street outside was still quite empty but Felix felt dread wash over him. He hooked his arm with Chan and they began to head back to the gate.

“There are more guards here,” Chan noted as they got closer to the city square and Felix hummed, his heartbeat speeding up. More guards meant more eyes on them and more eyes on them meant that more people might become suspicious of Chan because of the hood. “And people are looking,” Chan continued, leaning closer to Felix to whisper.

“I know,” Felix said as they turned on a street. He clenched his jaw, taking a deep breath as he saw the amount of guards by the gate. The search party must have just returned. “Pull your hood off and pretend to shield your eyes from the sun,” he instructed.

Chan immediately did as told, pulling down his hood and placing a hand above his eyes. Felix continued to lead him along the street, towards the gate. He tried to act as natural as possible, his heart hammering in his chest as he greeted the guards he accidentally made eye contact with. None of them seemed to pay them much attention as they seemed to be deep into a discussion about their search.

“There’s no trace of the dragon, spare for the giant crater in the forest where it must have fell.”

“It can’t just be gone.”

“Maybe it just fell and then took off again?”

“According to the reports, it would have been way too injured to continue.”

“We should get out of here,” Chan said and Felix hummed. They walked past the last guards, giving the two a little nod before turning away with their backs to the city and Felix inhaled, feeling like he could finally breathe again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m sorry,” Chan said as they walked along the road. They had slowed down their pace as they got further from the city, to make sure Chan was not putting too much strain on his body. Felix turned to Chan, opening his mouth to ask what he meant but Chan continued before he had the chance to. “I’m really sorry for all the troubles I’m causing. I should just have traveled alone.”

“You could not walk, two days ago,” Felix pointing out, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t… Don’t apologize for it,” he continued, looking out over the road ahead of them. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I should have moved years ago… In fact I should never have even moved into the woods. I should have gotten out of the human kingdom the day I was-” he cut himself off, biting his lip and swallowed hard.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Chan asked after a moment of silence and Felix turned to look at him.

“Not really…” he said, shoulders slumping. “Maybe some other time,” he continued and Chan nodded.

“I’m not going to ask more,” he said and Felix nodded. A silence fell over the two of them and Felix kept glancing over at Chan every now and then. He was looking awfully good, for having only a few stitches keeping his abdomen together and it was, in all honesty, a bit worrying. “Do you worship any deity, Felix?” Chan suddenly asked, turning to look at Felix.

“Uhm…” he blinked, unsure of what to actually say. The deities, limited with their influence over this realm by the Eruvafendë, was not something Felix thought of every day but he was aware of them. “Not really but I do pray to Hráva Emmë sometimes but I do not count myself as a devoted follower to anyone.”

“I see,” Chan said slowly, nodding his head.

“Have you ever met Hér Telempë?” Felix asked. “I don’t know a lot about him, the dragon lord, but I’ve heard tales of him, along with the ones about Nuëryn and Uilér Nor. I would assume the tales on Hér Telempë are a bit brighter than the other though.”

“I have never met him, but we do… we do worship him, to a degree at least,” Chan said and Felix nodded slowly. “I think he’s pretty much a deity at this point.”

“Oh,” Felix said. “I see.” Chan hummed and yet another silence filled the air. Felix bit the inside of his cheek, going through his brain as he tried to think of something to talk about. “Do you have any family waiting for you?” he asked, breaking the silence and Chan took his eyes off the road ahead of them to look at Felix.

“I do,” he replied, taking a deep breath and his shoulders slumped. “The war claimed the life of my parents, but I still have a sister…” he trailed off, biting his lip. “I hope she doesn’t assume I’m dead right away.”

“Have you gone missing like this before?” Felix asked. “I’m just- I mean, the war has been going on for quite a while… at least for as long as I can remember. You must have been out on the front like this before?”

“I have been to the front twice before but never…” Chan sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I never got lost like this.”

“I see…” Felix murmured, chewing on his bottom lip. “If I knew her I might have been able to send her a message but…” He threw a glance over at Chan. “Maybe we can figure something out when we get past Tremorndin?” he said hopefully and Chan nodded. They still had a long way before they reached Tremorndin, the mountain range that separated the humans kingdom from the dragons. When they were past Tremorndin, they would be a lot safer than they were now.

“Maybe…” Chan whispered, taking his eyes off Felix to look into the far horizon. “I hope so.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The campfire was crackling peacefully, casting a warm orange light around the small camp. Chan was sitting by his bedroll, his leather armor off and wearing only his undershirt as Felix returned to the camp with water in the small bowl to the mess kit. Chan looked up from his hands as Felix placed the metal bowl over the fire.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he sat down on his knees beside Chan.

“I’d be lying if I said it was fine,” he began and Felix hummed, nodding along a little. “But… all things considered… pretty good actually.”

“Good… I think we need to change the bandages and maybe clean the wound,” he continued and Chan hummed, grabbing a hold of his shirt to pull it over his head but Felix stopped him. “Let me help you. You’re going to rip something,” he said quietly, giving Chan a small, tight lipped smile.

Chan took a deep breath but he didn’t say anything. Felix carefully helped him out of the undershirt, one arm at the time. He placed the shirt to the side and focused his eyes on the bandages and instantly his heart sank. There were patches of blood soaking through the white bandages. This wasn’t good.

He quickly got to work with unwrapping the bandages. He bit the inside of his cheek, tossing the bloody fabric to the side as he observed the wound. It was swollen, the skin red and the edges of the wound still not taking together and what made Felix’s heart drop like a stone was the yellowish fluid that oozed out of the wound. It was infected.

“This doesn’t look good,” Chan said, wincing as he shifted a little.

“How are you even able to walk around with this?” Felix asked, frowning as he took his eyes off the wound. Chan shrugged, looking between Felix and the wound.

“I think dragons tend to have a high pain tolerance… maybe that’s why?” he said, giving Felix another little shrug. Felix ran a hand through his hair, thinking of what to do. He looked over to the little bowl of the mess kit and he stood up. The water was boiling at this point; exactly what he needed.

He placed the bowl beside Chan, bringing his bag with him and he sat down beside Chan again. He really didn’t want to treat Chan’s wounds here, hidden away by a few trees and bushes by a dirty and dusty road in the middle of the night.

“Here,” he said, giving Chan his waterskin before holding out his hands. “Pour some water over my hands,” he instructed and Chan did as told. Felix pulled out a clean rag, dipping it in the hot water of the bowl. “This will probably hurt,” he said and carefully began to clean the wound of the yellow fluids.

As he worked on it, he kept glancing up at Chan every now and then. Chan had his brows furrowed, jaw clenched and he winced in pain every now and then.

“I’m so sorry,” Felix said as he tossed the now dirty rag on top of the bloody bandages. They wouldn’t be reused anyway. He inspected the wound, noting that it looked better now but it was still infected. “It sure would be useful to actually be a healer right now,” he murmured, turning back to his bag.

“I appreciate everything you’re doing for me,” Chan said softly as Felix pulled the dried rosemary ouf of his bag. Chan raised an eyebrow, looking down at the herb.

“I might be able to get the infection out of your body,” Felix said, breaking the rosemary in two pieces. “But I make no promises,” he continued, taking a deep breath before pressing his hands against Chan’s abdomen, a piece of rosemary under each palm.

As he held the rosemary pressed against Chan’s skin, he closed his eyes and muttered an incantation under his breath. He felt his palms growing warm against Chan’s skin and the slight tingling of magic running through his veins, towards his hands.

“Felix,” Chan said, placing a hand on Felix’s face and Felix snapped his eyes open. He inhaled sharply, as he had not realized he had been holding his breath, and he realized that he had started sweating a little. Chan was looking concerned as he moved his hand to brush his finger over Felix’s upper lip. “You’re bleeding,” he whispered and Felix’s hand immediately went up to his nose.

“Oh,” he said as he pulled back his hand, his fingers red with blood. “I didn’t-”

“Are you okay?” Chan asked, brows furrowed. Felix reached out for a piece of fabric, quickly drying his nose and he just nodded. He felt fine, his limbs a bit heavy and breathing slightly labored.

“It’s fine,” he said but Chan didn’t look convinced. “I just… used a bit too much magic,” he continued, waving his hand in the air before going back to look at Chan’s wound. There was still a bit of fluid coming from it, but the swelling and redness had gone down noticeably and the fluid was clear. The stitches looked okay; they were messy but they served their purpose of holding the skin together and he couldn’t see any torn stitches.

“You sure you’re okay?” Chan asked and Felix just nodded, not looking up as he took a fresh bandage to start wrapping Chan’s wound again. There was a pause and Chan looked down as Felix worked on the bandage. “What happened to your hands?” he asked, breaking the silence and Felix snapped his head up, hands freezing.

His hands.

His gut twisted at the mere thought of his hands and he took a deep breath, looking down at his hands. His hands were covered in scarred, mangled and terribly burned skin. The skin over his fingers were not as affected as the skin on the back of his hand but they were far from the delicate and beautiful hands that elves and half elves should have.

“It’s…” he trailed off, unsure of what to actually say. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he whispered, resuming his work on wrapping Chan’s wound.

“I won’t ask more,” Chan said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Felix didn’t reply, he just remained quiet as he fastened the bandages around Chan’s torso and stood up. He could feel Chan’s eyes on him as he moved back over to his own bedroll, but he didn’t spare Chan a second glance before muttering a low ‘goodnight’. His heart felt heavy as he laid down, a million thoughts running through his mind and he sighed, closing his eyes as he let sleep claim him, despite knowing the nightmares that would follow.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am BACK with another fantasy chanlix. hello. hopefully i managed to catch all errors but knowing myself, i probably didn't dshjdj
> 
> I havent written or plotted all of this fic 100% yet sO we'll see where this journey will take us owo and as usual i will just update when i finish writing and editing chapters as we go uwu <3
> 
> thanks for reading, you can find me at pinkpunchmango @ twt and cc


	2. Child of fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The little bird sings a sad song as it sits in its cage, trapped by the past._

 

 

 

 

 

_It was hot; the fire roaring in Felix’s ears as he looked around. He couldn’t see beyond the fire. His heart was pounding in his chest and tears rolled down his cheeks. He was so scared. He was so lost as he tried to find a way out. The thick smoke was burning in his eyes and lungs. He was having a hard time breathing._

_“Help!” he called out, turning around to look for a way out of the inferno around him. He coughed, his lungs and throat burning. The fire was around him like a circle, creeping closer as the seconds passed by. A sob tore through his chest. He felt so helpless, so lost. “P-please.”_

_“You’re an abomination,” came a voice from beyond the flames, ringing so loud in Felix’s ears. “Things like you don’t deserve life.”_

_“B-but I-”_

_“You deserve to burn in hell for what you’ve done,” another voice said and Felix’s breath hitched._

_“You’re not like us. You don’t deserve to be treated kindly by us.” The fire was so hot and it hurt. It hurt so much. More voices came, blending together and their message was so clear in Felix’s ears._

_He deserved to die._

  


 

 

“Felix!” Chan called out, giving Felix’s shoulder a shake and Felix bolted up to sit upright. He was breathing heavily, vision blurred with tears and his hair sticking to his sweaty forhead. He looked over to Chan, swallowing hard as he tried to calm his breathing. “Are you okay?” Chan asked. He was sitting beside Felix, looking way better than he had been the night before. “You looked like you had a really bad nightmare.”

“I’m fine,” Felix said as he found the words again. He stared down at his burned hands, his breathing slowly calming down. “It was just a dream,” he whispered, more to himself than to Chan. “Just a dream.”

“You’re okay,” Chan whispered, reaching out a hand to stroke Felix’s hair. “You’re okay and safe.”

Felix nodded, his mouth dry and he sniffled as Chan began to dry the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “Thank you,” he murmured, inhaling sharply and Chan hummed. “We should continue,” he said, attempting to stand up but Chan placed a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him back down.

“We don’t have to hurry just yet,” he said, patting Felix’s head. “You look like you need a moment to catch your breath.”

“No it’s fine,” Felix protested but Chan shook his head.

“Let us at least have breakfast,” he said and Felix’s shoulders slumped; he nodded, his eyes fixed at his hands. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and he was just vaguely aware of Chan standing up. He kept his eyes on his hands, on the burned and scarred skin and he exhaled shakingly as he opened and closed his hands, watching the skin move over his joints; the voices kept ringing in his ears.

He didn’t deserve to live.

He wasn’t sure how long he just sat there, voices echoing in his head and the dream still flashing before his eyes. It wasn’t until Chan called his name again that he finally looked up, the voices fading away as he focused on Chan’s voice.

“You sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Chan asked as he took a bite of the mush that was supposed to be porridge. Felix sighed, shaking his head a little. “Do you get nightmares often?”

“I… Not every night but… often,” Felix murmured, taking a bite of the food as well. As he chewed, he looked over Chan. Chan looked better and he seemed to move better than yesterday as well. “How are you feeling?”

“Very good, actually,” Chan said and Felix hummed, nodding his head a little. “Whatever you did seemed to help a lot.”

“I’m glad,” Felix said, relief creeping up on him and a small smile stretching on his lips. “We should try to get as close to Tremorndin as possible today… The quicker we get up into the mountains the better.”

“You got a point,” Chan said slowly, nodding his head a little. “But won’t there be a lot of guards along Tremorndin?”

“Don’t know,” Felix said truthfully, shoulders dropping a little. “I think the humans are focusing their army down by the Eldmorndin,” he continued and Chan nodded along as he spoke, brows knitted together and eyes distant. “But I guess we should be careful either way as we approach.”

Chan hummed as Felix stood up. He glanced down at his bowl, sighing over the dirty bowl and looked around. They hadn’t quite made it to the Crowuld river yet, but they were close. They should pass two more streams before they could reach the safest passage of the Tremorndin mountain ridge.

“Let’s just wash the dishes when we get to Crowuld,” he said and Chan nodded, standing up. Felix kept a close eye on him as he got ready for the day to come. He looked a lot better today, moving in a smoother way. Relief washed over Felix. Maybe they would be able to travel further today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The open fields between the Crowuld river and Norrwuld river opened up in front of them as they continued their journey. Felix had been here once with his mother, but he had been very young and he barely remembered it. The village of Mirfield where he grew up was located far to the east, close to the water and encased by the forest of Bonamore which meant that the trip between Mirfield and these fields were long and exhausting, especially if one had a six year old child with them.

Along the road was a few farms, but Felix knew that the closer they got to Norrwuld river, the less farms there would be. The soil closer to the Tremorndin mountains was apparently less fertile, according to Felix’s mother; hence the very few farms.

“Have you traveled over Tremorndin before?” Felix asked, breaking the comfortable silence between him and Chan.

“Only as a dragon, I’m afraid,” he said and Felix hummed, pressing his lips together. “Why?”

“I’m trying to figure out where we should cross the mountain range,” Felix said and Chan hummed. “You wouldn’t happen to have a map on you?” he asked, running a hand through his hair as Chan shook his head. “I only know the way fairly well to Norrwuld,” he said, rubbing his chin. “After that we just have to… guess.”

“I’m decent with navigation with the stars but…” Chan trailed off, running a hand through his hair. “It would be much easier if I just shifted,” he continued, sending Felix a look but Felix just shook his head, brows furrowing.

“You can’t shift,” he said firmly, pressing his lips together as Chan frowned at him. “It’s too risky.”

“Why?”

“Your body is still trying to mend itself. If you shift, you run the risk of your body accidentally mending itself permanently in one form,” Felix explained and Chan nodded slowly, still frowning. “I’ve helped a few shifters… as I said before and an older shifter, an older woman, told me about the dangers of shifting…”

“I see,” Chan said and Felix nodded stiffly. “I guess I’ll just refrain from shifting then.” He sighed, shoulders dropping as he looked out over the fields ahead of them. Felix followed his line of sight, looking towards the horizon. He could see the Tremorndin starting to peek over the horizon line, but he knew they had a long journey ahead of them before they would reach the actual mountain range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Shit,” Felix cursed as he saw two people walking along the road, towards them. He threw a glance at Chan who looked up from his bowl of food. They had stopped for lunch and it would look way too suspicious if they just gathered all their things and ran. Chan turned to follow Felix’s line of sight, a gutteral curse in draconic as he turned back to Felix.

“What do we do?” he asked as Felix stood up. Felix rummaged through one of the medicine kits before pulling out a slim bandage.

“I’m gonna wrap your eyes and we pretend you’re injured, alright?” he asked and Chan nodded, arms dropping to his side as he let Felix wrap his eyes.

“What injured me?” Chan asked as Felix fastened the bandage, carefully fixing Chan’s hair a little. “A bear? Bandits?”

“Bandits,” Felix said, sitting down again. Chan picked up his bowl again, eating slowly. Felix also resumed eating, eyes flickering every now and then to the two figures approaching. His heartbeat was speeding up as they got closer.

Then one of them raised their hands, giving Felix a wave. Felix glanced at Chan who simply continued to eat his lunch, unaware of what happened. Felix raised his hand to give the figure a wave.

They got closer and Felix’s heart was by now racing in his chest. He could only see the face of one of the figures, as the other one was hidden under the black hood of his robe. The one who did not obscure his face was obviously human, with round ears and a sharp jawline paired with a strong chin. He had slim eyes, flickering around nervously as they got even closer and black hair just carelessly brushed to the side. They were both dressed in simple leather pants, worn with age and boots just as worn. The one with the hood was wearing a crimson west under the robe while the black haired man was wearing a pale green shirt, loose and top buttons open.

“Hello,” he greeted, stopping as he and his companion reached Chan and Felix. If the one who didn’t have his hood pulled up looked nervous, the one with the hood looked even more nervous. Felix didn’t need to see their face to know that, as he could see the hooded person fiddle nervously with their fingers. This was rather unsettling.

“Hello,” Felix greeted and Chan simply offered a nod in the direction the voice had come from. The guy looked Chan over and Felix could see his adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

“Did- I’m terribly sorry for asking but did this,” he gestured towards Chan, “happen along the road?”

“Yes,” Felix replied, trying his best to keep his voice steady. His heart was hammering in his chest as he kept looking between the two. God what if they figured out that neither Felix or Chan were human. “Bandits.”

“Oh,” the human said, inhaling sharply. “That’s… that’s not good,” he continued, looking over at the hooded figure.

“Where are the two of you headed?” Chan asked, placing his bowl down and Felix could see both strangers tense up. By now his heart was hammering in his chest, so loud in his ears. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was starting to suspect that maybe these two were trying to hide as well.

“Where are you headed?” the hooded one suddenly asked, a slight tremble to their voice. Felix looked over at Chan, swallowing hard. “Are you… a-are you humans?”

Felix blinked, staring at the figure as they pushed the hood down. It was a young man, a strong jaw but cheeks still a bit puffy, probably around Felix’s age or younger. He had dark red hair with streaks of brighter reds and Felix could have sworn that he could see tiny, orange feathers hiding in there as well. He had wide eyes, his irises red with orange shifting around as he looked at Felix and Chan.

“You’re a…” Felix trailed off before looking over at Chan. “You can take the bandage off,” he whispered and Chan did as told, quickly unwrapping his eyes to look at the two strangers in front of them.

“We’re heading towards Tremorndin,” Chan said after a moment of silence. The red haired man looked over to his companion before back to Felix and Chan, a wide grin stretching his lips.

“We are too!” he said. “I’m Jeongin.”

“I’m Woojin,” the human said and Chan shifted his gaze to look at him. Woojin quickly held up his hands, taking a small step back as Chan narrowed his eyes. “I’m… I’m just trying to help Jeongin get away from here.”

“You’re a human,” Chan said and Woojin nodded, shoulders dropping a little. Chan’s already tense and guarded posture only became even more tense as he looked Woojin over, yellow eyes narrowed. “Why are you helping him?”

“I know how humans treat… magic,” he looked over Jeongin who lowered his head, tugging at his sleeve. “And I know it’s horrible. I don’t want Jeongin to suffer.”

“Can we trust him? He’s a human...” Chan said, looking over at Felix. Just as Felix was about to say something, Jeongin cut him off.

“He risked everything to help me,” he snapped and Chan inhaled sharply. Oh this wasn’t good. Felix stood up as Chan stood up, eyes flickering between Chan and Jeongin. As he looked at Jeongin, it almost looked like Jeongin’s hair was flaring up, the color brightening a little. Felix backed up a little. “I’ve known him all my life. How _dare_ you question him?”

“I’m sorry _little phoenix,_ ” Chan hissed and Felix quickly moved over to place a hand on Chan’s arm, pushing him back a little.

“Hey,” he said carefully, looking between the two. Both Chan and Jeongin had a slight hunch to their stance, as if they were both ready to pounce. “Let’s calm down and regain focus, shall we?” he continued softly, breathing a sigh of relief as Chan straightened his back. “You’re helping him?” Felix asked, turning to Woojin.

“I am,” he said, nodding slowly as he looked between Felix and Chan. “I know he won’t be able to make it out of here without being found out. I-I just can’t leave him. Or let him go on this journey alone.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Felix said, glancing over at Chan. Chan didn’t seem completely convinced but he relaxed a little. “Would you two like to travel with us?” he asked, placing a hand on Chan’s arm before Chan could react. “We’re safer in numbers,” he added softly, more directed to Chan than to Woojin and Jeongin.

“I guess you’re right,” Jeongin said, not looking overly fond of the idea of having to travel with them but Felix was sure he’d come around.

“I’m Felix,” he said, offering Woojin and Jeongin a small smile.

“I’m Chan,” Chan said, taking a step back to return to sit down. “I guess we should finish up lunch so we can get going.”

“We’ll just finish lunch and we’ll continue, alright?” Felix said gently and both Jeongin and Woojin nodded. They gave each other a glance and a nod before sitting down with Chan and Felix.

“I guess we’ll take out lunch break here as well,” Woojin said. Felix hummed, picking up his bowl as he looked between Woojin, Jeongin and Chan. The tension in the air was heavy but maybe… maybe it would work out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeongin and Chan seemed to get along just fine, as soon as the initial tension washed off. Felix glanced over his shoulder to see the two of them tail behind him and Woojin, chatting about something. Chan was smiling fondly at Jeongin as he explained something in a rather animated way.

“I didn’t think they would warm up to each other this quickly,” Woojin said and Felix snapped his head back to look at Woojin who was walking beside him. “Not after that first encounter.”

“I think we’re all just… on edge,” Felix said slowly and Woojin hummed, nodding his head a little. “I don’t think Chan meant to distrust you as a person it’s just-”

“Because I’m a human,” Woojin cut him off and Felix licked his lips before nodding slowly. “It’s fine,” Woojin said, turning to look at the road ahead of them and Felix followed suit. “I don’t expect any of you to trust me blindly,” he continued. “Thank you for… I don’t know, not killing me.”

“You don’t…” Felix sighed, brushing some of his dark hair away from his forehead. “Don’t thank me. I think I speak for both me and Chan when I say that we both just wants to get across Tremorndin without much bloodshed.” Woojin nodded and Felix sighed, shoulders dropping. “There has been way too much bloodshed over this war already.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Woojin said, sighing heavily. “My father was drafted into the army when he was younger and he was lucky to make it out alive… He has told me some of it and…” He trailed off, chewing on his bottom lip. “I just pray there will be an end to this madness soon enough.”

“I hope so,” Felix sighed, glancing over to Woojin.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking…” Woojin began slowly and Felix just raised an eyebrow. “Are you human?”

“I’m not…” Felix replied, studying Woojin’s expression closely. Woojin didn’t reply, he just nodded slowly. “I’m a half elf,” he continued, raising a hand to brush his fingers over the jagged edges of his ears.

“I see,” Woojin murmured. “Did you live among humans?” he asked and Felix nodded, pressing his lips together. Woojin, seemingly realizing that Felix wasn’t fond of this subject, did not ask anything more about it. There was a pause as they walked along the road, just staring at the road ahead of them and the mountain range that was starting to peek above the horizon line.

“What path have you planned to take across the mountain range?” Woojin asked, breaking the silence and Felix chewed on his bottom lip, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“I actually…” he trailed off, adjusting the tight and high collar of his shirt a little. “We haven’t… decided.”

“No?”

“No.” Felix shook his head. “Chan has never traveled over Tremorndin, save for flying and neither have I… I’m afraid we do not have a map either.”

“Well then,” Woojin said and Felix could see a small smile begin to stretch on Woojin’s lips. “You’re lucky. Because I have a map with me,” he said, grinning as he patted his bag.

“You do?” Felix asked, eyes wide as he looked at Woojin. “Wow we sure are lucky,” he continued, a relieved laugh slipping past his lips. Woojin’s grin just widened. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Woojin said softly, patting Felix’s arm gently. It felt weird, honestly. Two weeks ago, Felix had been all alone in his cottage in the middle of the forest and now he was traveling towards the unknown in the company of a dragon, a phoenix and a human.

Fate seemed to have something special in mind for them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Can I ask you something?” Jeongin asked as he and Felix were sitting by the campfire. Chan and Woojin were sleeping, soft snores coming from them. Felix, eyes lingering on Chan’s relaxed face, hummed.

“Ask away,” he replied, brushing some of Chan’s hair away from his forehead before looking up at Jeongin. Jeongin was looking at Felix with curious eyes, fire flickering in his red irises; Felix wasn’t sure if it was the innate flame from Jeongin’s heritage or if it was a reflection of the warm, gentle campfire.

“What happened to Chan?” Jeongin asked softly, glancing down at Chan and then back at Felix. “I know he’s injured but… it looked really serious.”

“It is,” Felix murmured, looking back down at Chan. They had been lucky, avoiding more infections and fevers but Felix knew the wound was still not healing as it should have had, had Chan just rested. “He was… he was hit by a ballista bolt,” Felix explained slowly and Jeongin nodded. “He managed to get away from the battlefield but ended up getting disoriented and fell from the sky above the Bonamore woods.”

“This war…” Jeongin mumbled, rubbing his face. “I never… Sure I thought about it and it was always present in my life, as it’s been going on my whole life… but I never really thought about it until recently? I mean, I’ve lived 20 years thinking I’m just a human.” He shrugged. “I didn’t have to suffer until…” He gestured to himself, pointing at his hair. “Until things started to happen.”

“You didn’t know you were..?” Felix trailed off and Jeongin nodded, fiddling with his fingers.

“It just surfaced one day,” Jeongin whispered, chewing nervously at his lower lip. “I was out in the forest and everything just… changed. I don’t know.” He swallowed hard, adam’s apple bobbing.

“What did you do?” Felix asked carefully, still brushing his fingers over Chan’s hair. “When you found out? Did… did your parents know?”

“No, uhm,” Jeongin trailed off, glancing over at Woojin. “My mother left when I was very young and my… my dad was accused of witchcraft,” he whispered, shoulders dropping and Felix could see the tears welling up in his eyes. “I was left alone for maybe a year. I lived in a very small house, helped out at the blacksmiths place in town… then this happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Felix said, sighing heavily as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m really sorry, Jeongin.”

“Thank you,” Jeongin murmured. There was a pause as Jeongin looked down on his hands, fiddling nervously with his fingers. “I told Woojin the day after.”

“Oh.”

“He’s… He’s a childhood friend of mine,” Jeongin explained. “He’s the son of the blacksmith… I trust him, I trust him with everything I have. When I told him…” He licked his lips before taking a deep breath. “When I told him… he abandoned everything. He gave up his whole life to get me to safety.”

Felix looked over to Woojin, sighing heavily. “That’s… very nice of him. He seems very kind.”

“He is,” Jeongin confirmed, smile stretching on his lips. “I wouldn’t be alive without him.”

Felix nodded, not saying anything else. Neither did Jeongin. The two of them just looked out over the open fields around them, watching as the sun began to rise in the far east.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tremorndin was coming closer for every passing hour but the journey over the vast fields was a long and exhausting one. After they had passed the few farms closer to Crowuld, the fields were empty and void of any life as the soil got less and less fertile. The grass was getting paler and dryer. It felt like they had just been walking along the straight road for hours and it was starting to wear all of them out. But according to Woojin’s map, and Felix’s memory, they would reach the Norrwuld river soon.

Despite the exhausting journey, it brought Felix some kind of comfort as well. The further north they traveled, the safer they would be. Just passing Tremorndin wouldn’t guarantee a safe journey ahead, but it would be safer than it had been previously.

“So,” Chan began quietly as he walked beside Felix, his hand brushing against Felix’s. “What do you think about Woojin and Jeongin?”

“I like them,” Felix said, glancing over to Chan. Chan hummed, nodding his head a little. “I think it’s good that we’re more people traveling, considering your injury,” he murmured, gesturing to Chan’s abdomen. The injury was healing up, but Chan was still unable to shift and Felix wished they didn’t need to travel like this. “And they’re good people, I think.”

“I like them too,” Chan said and Felix nodded, a small smile twitching on his lips. “Like you said, it’s good to travel with more people. It feels… safer.”

Felix opened his mouth to reply but Jeongin suddenly stopped walking.

“There’s people coming our way,” Jeongin said, eyes flickering between Felix, Chan and Woojin. Chan gave Felix a glance before pulling his hood up; Jeongin quickly followed suit. Felix, his gaze still fixed at the silhouettes approaching, pulled out his gloves from his bag and quickly slipped them on to hide the scarring on his hands.

“Let’s just try to pass them as calmly as possible,” Woojin said cautiously, looking over at Felix who nodded slowly. He couldn’t see more than the silhouettes. There were six of them, five of them in the front and it looked as if the sixth one was being pulled behind the others. Along with them was a horse and a wagon. It looked odd.

Felix gave Woojin a worried look, doubt and fear swirling in his stomach as the six silhouettes grew closer. He didn’t have a good feeling about this.

“I don’t like this,” Felix said, leaning a bit closer to Woojin as they continued to walk along the road. “That looks like guards,” he breathed, fear running down his spine as realization hit him. The five figures at the front were all wearing the symbol of Penzance, the capital of the human kingdoms and leader of the war against the dragons.

This was _bad._

They were so close now, so close that Felix, Woojin, Chan and Jeongin moved over to one side of the road to give the approaching strangers space. Woojin raised his hand to casually greet them and the one walking in the front did the same. Felix still couldn’t make out if the sixth person was also one of the guards.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Woojin greeted, giving the guards a nod as they finally met on the road. The guards stopped and Felix’s heart was hammering in his chest, blood rushing in his ears. What if they were found out?

“Hello,” the guard in the middle greeted, looking the six of them over. “Traveling north are we?” he asked and Felix nodded mutely, his mouth dry.

“And you’re…” Woojin trailed off, looking over the guard’s shoulder to the figure behind them. Felix couldn’t see their face, as it was lowered and obscured by their long brown hair but he could clearly make out the shackles around their wrists. They were wearing simple traveling clothes that were worn from use and a green cloak pulled over all of it. They looked like any normal person. Felix swallowed hard.

“We caught this spy trying to sneak off over the Tremorndin,” the guard said, chuckling. Felix gut twisted uncomfortably and he did his best to act as neutral as possible. “They sent out a distress call from Daln, saying something about how a magical creature had been living among them for years before they found out his true nature.”

“Oh,” Woojin said and Felix glanced over at him. He looked nervous, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I guess we should get going,” he said, voice stable and calm as he looked back at Felix, Chan and Jeongin. “We have to reach our destination before dawn.”

“That would be for the better,” the guard replied and Felix hummed. “I guess we should be going too, we need a trial for this scum as soon as possible,” he continued and Felix could just barely catch the low hiss that came from Chan. He reached out, gently taking Chan’s hand and gave it a squeeze. It didn’t seem like the guards noticed the gesture.

One of the guards tugged at the shackles suddenly, causing the person to stumble and as they did, they looked up. Felix’s heart stopped for a second.

“Minho,” he said before he could stop himself. Minho stared at him, golden brown eyes wide with confusion swirling in them.

“Felix?” he asked, his lips trembling.

“You two know each other?” the guard in the middle asked, taking a step towards Felix and as a reflex, Chan tugged Felix’s hand, pulling him away from the guard. “What are you four hiding?” the guard hissed and Felix realized that their facade was crumbling.

“Nothing,” Woojin said, stepping in front of Felix. Felix could feel his chest tightening, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I can’t leave him,” he whispered to Chan, panic lacing his voice. He couldn’t leave Minho like this. He wouldn’t leave Minho. They may not be the best of friends, but they were friends and Felix wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he left Minho.

“We should go,” Woojin said, slowly ushering Chan and Felix away from the guards. The five guards were tense, their hands resting on the handle of their swords. Chan looked over at Felix, his yellow eyes glowing under his hood and he gave Felix’s hand a squeeze before letting go to step past Woojin.

“Let him go,” Chan said, voice steady and calm. The guards furrowed their brows, Woojin looked over at Felix with wide eyes and Felix’s heart was racing in his chest.

“Who are you?” the guard in the middle demanded, eyes narrowed as he looked all of them. “I need you four to come with me.”

“I don’t think so,” Chan said as he pushed down his hood, letting his gaze wander over the three guards and Minho. “Just let him go and we’ll be on our way.”

“We can’t let a spy go,” one of the other guards said, pulling out the sword from its sheath. “And you expect us to let you go now as well, dragon scum?” he continued and a growl rumbled in Chan’s chest.

“I would advise you to let him go and be on your way,” he growled, lowering his stance. Felix could see his nails darkening, elongating and becoming more claw like.

“Chan, don’t,” he breathed, but he wasn’t sure if Chan heard him. The guards now all had their sword drawn.

“Back off,” Jeongin said, pulling down his hood and taking a step forward. “Leave the half elf, and just go,” he hissed but it didn’t seem like it had any effect on the five guards. Woojin grabbed Felix’s arm as he started to back away. The horse that was tied to the wagon was restless, moving around constantly.

“I don’t think so, lowlife,” one of them replied and Chan growled again. Felix could see scales starting to appear on his hands. He was going to shift.

“Chan!” Felix called out, snapping Chan out of whatever daze he was and he looked over at Felix, eyes wide. As Chan was distracted, the guards used that to their advantage and lunged towards Chan. Before Felix could react, yell out to warn Chan, a streak of fire cut through the space between the guard and Chan. The guard immediately halted, taking a step back as the fire quickly calmed down. The ground was a bit charred, but the fire had not caught onto anything. Felix’s heart was racing in his chest, blood rushing in his ears as his eyes darted between Jeongin, Chan and the guards.

“Back. Off,” Jeongin said, hands extended in front of him. His red hair was moving in the wind, the bright highlights even brighter and it seemed as if his hair was almost on fire. “I’d hate to injure anyone but you need to let him go.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” one guard said, grabbing Minho harshly. Minho struggled in his grasp but he looked far too weak to be able to get away from the guard. His breath hitched as the guard pressed the blade of the sword against his throat, his golden eyes wide and frightened as he stared at Felix.

Chan was about to say something, but another guard lunged at him and he barely had time to react. He deflected the blade with his arm, the sword clanging against the hard scales and he swung his other arm around, claws aimed towards the face of the guard.

“Last chance,” Jeongin yelled, holding out his hands towards the guard. “Let him go,” he instructed but the guard simply tightened his grasp of Minho. Before Felix, or anyone else, could react, a loud boom was heard as the wagon caught flame.

Fire.

Felix whole body locked in place as he stared at the fire. He couldn’t move. His ears were ringing, his heart pounding as he stood there. He wasn’t even aware of what was going on anymore.

He could only see the flames that were swallowing the wagon and catching onto the grass. His vision was starting to get blurry. Panic was rising in his chest. He needed to get away from here but his body was locked up. His lungs were burning. He couldn’t breathe.

“Felix,” he could hear someone calling out but he didn’t know who it was. He couldn’t move. There were so many voices yelling in his head. He couldn’t focus on anything beside the destructive heat in front of him and the voices telling him the truth.

He deserved to die.

“Felix, look at me,” Chan’s voice broke through all the other voices and Felix snapped out of it. Chan was cradling his face, eyes worried as he brushed his thumbs over Felix’s cheekbones. “I need you to breathe with me,” he instructed, taking deep breaths to get Felix to breathe along with him. “In and out.”

“We need to leave,” Jeongin yelled, voice panicked and Felix looked over, his vision still blurred with tears. The guards were all on the ground, blood splattered on the dry grass and Jeongin was holding onto Minho, pulling him away from the flames.

“Come on, love,” Chan murmured, gently taking Felix’s arm to pull him away from the fire. Felix was so lost, his mind spinning and vision blurry. “Breathe with me,” he repeated as they turned their back to the fire.

Felix sniffled, ignoring the looks he got from Woojin, Jeongin and Minho. Chan didn’t say anything, he just gently guided Felix away from the flames and the still bodies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The campfire was crackling gently as Felix stared into it. Small fires were okay, it didn’t unsettle him like the large ones. He was so deep in thought that he barely registered that someone sat down beside him.

“How are you?” Minho asked and Felix startled in surprise. “Sorry,” Minho said, shoulders dropping as he stared into the fire. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No it’s… it’s okay. I’m okay,” Felix said slowly, studying Minho’s face. Minho’s cheek was bruised and his lip split. “Are you okay?”

“Way better now,” Minho mumbled, shrugging. “Thank you… for not leaving me.”

“I don’t… I don’t know if I could live with myself if I had just left you with them,” Felix replied truthfully. “You and Jinsook are like the… the closest thing I’ve had to friends and…” He took a deep breath. “It could have been me who was shackled up.”

“Still… thank you, really,” Minho said, placing a hand on Felix’s leg. He rubbed small, soothing circles with his thumb. “God I shouldn’t have let them catch me,” he groaned, running his free hand through his hair.

“They’re actively hunting us, Minho,” Felix whispered, turning his attention back to the gentle fire in front of them. “No one can really blame you for being caught.”

There was a pause. The only sound around them were the gentle murmurs from Jeongin and Woojin behind them and the crackling fire in front of them.

“Where are you traveling?” Minho asked and Felix looked back at him. “Over Tremorndin?” Felix nodded, glancing over at Chan. Chan was sitting quietly, poking around in his bowl. “And after that?”

“I don’t really know,” Felix whispered, biting his lower lip. “I have to get Chan back home.”

“What are you doing when he’s back home?” Minho asked, golden eyes curious. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” Felix whispered, his gut twisting uncomfortably and he kept his eyes locked at the gentle fire. “I don’t know.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sound of rippling water was getting louder and relief washed over Felix. They were finally reaching Norrwuld. Jeongin’s face brightened up and he turned around to smile at Felix and Chan who were walking in the back.

“We should wash up when we get there,” Woojin said, glancing over his shoulder. “Let’s wash up and rest a little when we reach the river… We need all the energy we can get for the travel over Tremorndin.”

“Sounds good,” Chan murmured, giving Felix’s hand a gentle squeeze. After the run in with the guards, Chan had stuck himself to Felix’s side and Felix appreciated it. Chan still hadn’t asked about the whole thing with the fire, instead giving Felix the space and instead just providing him silent comfort.

“Do you guys even know what path to take?” Minho asked, looking up towards the mountain range that was rising and getting closer in front of them.

“We have a map and I think the path through the elven graveyard is the easiest path to take,” Woojin said and Minho hummed. “It’s not the quickest, considering we have yet another river to pass to get to the right passage, but it’s the easiest for Chan to take.”

“The injury is healing, kind of,” Felix said, looking over at Chan who sighed deeply. “But I really don’t… want to risk it,” he continued and Chan nodded, head lowered.

“So the elven graveyard passage,” Minho said and Woojin nodded. “Sounds like fun.”

“It shouldn’t be too bad,” Woojin said and Jeongin chuckled. “I haven’t heard any rumors of undeads in this area.”

“Thank the gods for that,” Minho added, running a hand through his hair. “That only takes place in the north, right?” he asked, turning to Chan.

“The northeast in Nu ëryn,” he confirmed and Minho nodded. “I haven’t heard anything about undead activity along the Tremordin range.”

“That’s good,” Minho hummed. “That’s good.”

“We should hurry up so we can get cleaned while the sun is still up,” Woojin said and the other four let out a collective hum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had found a part of the river that was calmer, obscured by some trees and bushes. It would provide them some calm and privacy while they got some extra rest.

Minho, Jeongin and Woojin had been the first to clean up. Chan and Felix had stayed behind, setting up the camp instead. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the landscapes as Felix had assembled the campfire and got a pot of water boiling.

“Your turn,” Minho announced as he returned, his hair still wet. Woojin and Jeongin were right behind him, Jeongin looking terribly disgruntled and looked somewhat like a wet puppy. As he sat down in front of the fire, he grumbled something about how much he disliked water.

“I’ll get some dinner going, go and wash up,” Woojin said, placing his cloak to the side and brushed some of his wet hair away from his face. Chan was already standing up, looking at Felix expectantly. Felix swallowed hard as he stood up, eyes averted. He could feel Minho’s worried eyes on him as he passed and he looked up for a brief moment to give Minho a tight lipped smile.

He and Chan walked in silence towards the river; Felix’s heart was racing in his chest and his gut twisted.

“Is everything alright?” Chan asked and Felix took his eyes off the ground. Chan looked worried and that made Felix feel even worse. He didn’t want Chan to worry about him. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing really… I just-” Felix cut himself off as they reached the river. Chan was still looking at him, eyebrows furrowed and worry swimming in his eyes. “We should wash up.”

“Felix,” Chan said softly, so softly it almost hurt and he reached out to gently grab a hold of Felix’s arm. Felix didn’t protest as Chan tugged at his arm, turning him so he was facing Chan. “I didn’t want to bring it up again but… you’ve been off ever since we had that run in with the guards. I… I’m not forcing you to tell me but I can see that it’s been bothering you. And it hurts.”

Felix bit his lip, looking down at the ground. He didn’t know what to say.

“We should really clean up…” he whispered, still not looking up and Chan hummed. “I don’t… I don’t know.” His shoulder dropped, his heart heavy and he just felt defeated. “I don’t know what’s going on. Just… I’ll tell you…”

“I’m really not forcing you to tell me,” Chan murmured, brushing his hand down Felix’s arm, down to his hand. Felix stiffened as he brushed his fingers gently over his scarred hand. “I just worry.”

“I’ll tell you,” Felix whispered, taking a deep breath before he dared to look up and meet Chan’s gaze. “B-but first… we should get into the water before it gets dark,” he continued, his voice trembling. Chan frowned but he nodded slowly, taking a step away from Felix.

Felix remained still for a moment as Chan began to undress, his heart still racing in his chest. His mind was so loud it almost drowned out every other sound around him. He shouldn’t tell Chan, he shouldn’t show him.

He inhaled sharply as Chan stepped into the water, snapping back to reality. Chan deserved the truth. Felix began to undress, head lowered as he did. He could feel Chan’s eyes on him and his eyes were starting to burn as tears welled up.

He took a deep breath, tossing his clothes in a little pile before straightening his back. Chan was standing with the water reaching up to his waist, worry clear on his face as Felix joined him in the water. Felix averted his eyes, not wanting to see the disgust in Chan’s eyes as he got closer.

He remained silent, chewing on his bottom lip.

“Felix,” Chan whispered, reaching out to brush his hand over Felix’s arm. Felix kept avoiding Chan’s eyes, his stomach churning uncomfortably as Chan ran his fingers over the burn scars. He tried to not thing of it, focusing his gaze on the wound on Chan’s torso. It was healing, skin taking together but due to the traveling, it wasn’t healing as fast as it should have if Chan had been resting.

“I think we can remove the stitches later,” he said, trying to talk about anything but the mangled scars on his skin. He placed a hand on Chan’s abdomen, over the wound and he took a deep breath, muttering the first word to an incantation for a healing spell.

“Felix.” Chan gently took his hand, removing it from the wound. Felix inhaled sharply. “Please look at me,” Chan said, his voice so gentle and Felix looked up, blinking back the tears of shame in his eyes. Chan’s eyes were so full of adoration and Felix’s heart ached. “What’s going through your mind?”

“I-” Felix cut himself off, taking a deep breath. His throat felt thick and he blinked rapidly, trying to not let the tears fall. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Chan asked, running his hand up Felix’s arm, over his shoulder and to his neck. His hands were gentle, his fingers just ghosting over Felix’s uneven skin. Felix watched Chan intently, taking in every little detail of his expression as he studied the scars. When he reached the ones on Felix’s neck, where the mangled skin met the smooth skin, he took a moment to just run his finger along the line that separated the ugly from the rest. Felix gut twisted in disgust and a sob bubbled up in his chest at the memory of the flames almost swallowing him. Chan looked up, meeting his gaze. “What did they do to you?” he asked softly.

Felix exhaled shakily, his chest tight and throat thick. He tried to reply, but as he opened his mouth, a sob slipped past his lips. Tears were welling up in his eyes and he bowed his head. Chan moved his hand from Felix’s neck to his jaw and gently tilted his head up. Chan didn’t say anything, he only studied Felix’s face, yellow eyes so soft.

“I was…” Felix swallowed, trying to think of what to say. “When I was seventeen I-” He sniffled, a hand coming up to dry the tears rolling down his cheek. Chan waited, quiet as Felix tried to collect his racing thoughts. “I’ve always had a little magic and I knew it was a crime to use magic… When I was seventeen I was caught healing a sheep. It had broken its leg and I wanted to help but when the villagers saw me I-”

“You do not have to tell me,” Chan murmured, drying tears off Felix’s cheeks; Felix shook his head. “Take your time. Don’t rush.”

“It’s fine,” Felix assured, voice a bit choked and he exhaled loudly. “There are laws on how to deal with magic. In the human kingdoms… Villages are only to imprison people suspected of magic, they can’t carry out punishments without a judge but…” He blinked, more tears rolling down his cheeks as Chan took his face in his hands. “My village… people I knew and… and trusted to a degree… They freaked out, took matter into their own hands and-”

“It’s okay,” Chan said soothingly and Felix sniffled again before hugging Chan, pressing his nose into the crook of Chan’s neck and he cried. Chan didn’t say anything; he hummed, his chest vibrating with the sound as he ran his hand up and down Felix’s back. “You’re safe now,” he murmured and Felix exhaled shakily, still holding onto Chan. “You’re okay.”

“They burned my house down,” Felix said, choking on another sob. He hated this memory, he hated talking about it. The memory of the flames were still so clear. “I got stuck and I-I would have-” Another sob tore through his chest and Chan tightened his grip of Felix. “I would have died,” he whispered weakly, voice thick with tears. “The royal guard got to… to the scene in time to stop it b-but…” He took another deep breath, loosening his grip of Chan and he straightened his back. “The scars remain… no matter how much I-I tried healing them. I tried. I’ve been trying for years.”

He blinked, sniffling as he moved to dry the tears off his cheeks. He averted his eyes, not daring to look Chan in the eye.

“You’re beautiful,” Chan whispered and Felix quickly shifted his eyes back to meet Chan’s gaze. His eyes were wide, his lips slightly parted and trembling as Chan brushed the back of his fingers over his wet cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

“E-even with the scars?”

“Especially with the scars,” Chan murmured, leaning closer to Felix. Felix’s heart was racing, his mind spinning and he gently took Chan’s face in his hands. They didn’t say anything, they just stared at each other. Felix kept his eyes locked with Chan’s, his thumbs brushing over Chan’s cheekbone. He carefully brought Chan closer, slowly to give Chan the chance to protest.

He didn’t.

Chan’s lips were gentle, soft against Felix’s and one of his hands came to rest on Felix’s lower back. Felix’s chest felt tight, emotions swirling inside him and he sobbed against Chan’s lips, but this was not a sob out of sadness.

“You’re so much more than your scars,” Chan whispered, his lips still brushing against Felix’s. “But they’re a part of you. They tell a story of how strong you are,” he continued, giving Felix’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ve fallen in love with you, with everything that you are.”

Felix hiccuped, emotions getting caught in his throat. He tried to speak, but no words came. More tears rolled down his cheeks as he sniffled and leaned his forehead against Chan’s.

“Take your time,” Chan murmured, smile stretching on his lips and his nose brushing against Felix’s. “We have time.”

“I’m fallen in love with you too,” Felix whispered, voice cracking a little. He inhaled sharply, his heart fluttering with relief and happiness in his chest; his shoulders felt so light. Another sob bubbled in his chest and he pressed his lips against Chan’s again.

He was happy.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well well well... let's just pray that i caught all the small typos and mistakes hdfhjdfj  
> i'm back hdjsd this fic is slow bc i keep getting distracted with everything else... bUT HEY we got a kiss  
> damn do i love writing some good ol' kisses uwu
> 
> thank you all for reading <3 
> 
> pinkpunchmango @ twitter and cc


	3. Lost souls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Bound by the stars, bound by their hearts._  
>  The lady of fate shall grant your wish.

 

 

 

 

 

“Does it hurt?” Felix asked as he carefully worked on removing the stitches on Chan’s wound. It was risky to remove them this early, but it would also be for the best for his body to heal as much as it could without any stitches.

“A little,” Chan said, grimacing as Felix pulled yet another little string out of his skin. “More like a discomfort than actual pain but-”

“Do you want me to try and heal it again?” Felix asked, placing the small set of scissors to the side. Chan looked confused for a second, eyebrows raised as Felix placed his hand over the still red skin. Just as he was about to mutter the spell, Chan took his hand with both his hands.

“You don’t have to,” he whispered, brushing his thumb over Felix’s skin. “You’ve done so much for me and I…” He brought Felix’s hand up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss on Felix’s knuckles. “I don’t ever want to see you hurting.”

“It doesn’t hurt me,” Felix murmured. “Not… not a lot.”

“You have started bleeding when you healed me earlier,” Chan pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he let go of Felix’s hand, instead placing a hand on Felix’s cheek. “I’ll survive,” he assured, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. “As long as you’re okay, I’ll be okay. Please take care of yourself.”

“I’ll… I’ll try,” Felix whispered, watching as a wide smile stretched on Chan’s lips. He quickly looked down, his heart fluttering in his chest as he stood up. Chan kept his gaze on Felix as Felix walked to sit down behind him. The large wound had not pieced all the way through, but there had been a few scratched on Chan’s back as well.

Felix brushed his fingers over the small, faded scratches on Chan’s skin, before moving to touch the swirling pattern of the tattoo on Chan’s left shoulder blade. With gentle fingers, soft eyes and lips slightly parted, Felix traced the black lines that traveled from the base of Chan’s neck down to the back of his ribcage. He pressed the palm of his hand over the biggest part of the tattoo, the place where various shades of red adorned Chan’s pale skin.

He wasn’t sure what came over him as his chest tightened and he moved to sit a bit straighter. He let his free hand brush down Chan’s arm, over his shoulder, down the curves of his bicep and upper arm; all the way down to his hand. His heart fluttered as Chan wrapped his fingers around Felix’s, holding onto them in such a gentle but firm way. Felix exhaled shakingly, leaning forward to press a soft kiss on Chan’s shoulder.

“I’m glad you found me,” Chan murmured, his voice raspy and rumbling in his chest. “I’m so thankful.”

“Fate really had it for us,” Felix whispered, brushing a hand down Chan’s side. He looked out over the dark fields before leaning in to press his lips against Chan’s skin again. “We should to go sleep,” he said, standing up again.

Chan hummed, moving to lay down on his bedroll. “Careful,” Felix instructed, glancing over to their companions, who were all laying a few meters away from them. If they were awake, he wasn’t sure because he couldn’t see any signs of them actually being awake. Felix moved his bedroll a little closer to Chan’s, laying down on it.

The fire was slowly dying down, the orange light growing weaker and weaker. Chan was laying on his back, head turned to look at Felix as Felix rolled over to his side. Felix inched closer, placing a hand on Chan’s abdomen and he brushed his thumb over the skin. Chan remained silent, eyes locked with Felix’s as he placed his hand on top of Felix’s.

“You look tired, love,” Chan whispered, rubbing his thumb in small circles on the back of Felix’s hand. “You should rest,” he continued and Felix wrapped his fingers around Chan’s, giving them a weak squeeze. “You need to rest a lot.”

“You need rest too,” Felix murmured, voice growing tired and he blinked. His eyelids were heavy as he looked at Chan, brushing his thumb over Chan’s hand. “You need to let your body recover.”

“I’ll go to sleep,” Chan assured him, small smile tugging on his lips. “I just have to make sure you fall asleep.”

“You don’t have to,” Felix said, but he closed his eyes either way. Chan continued to brush the pad of his thumb over Felix’s scarred hand. The simple and gentle touch was slowly lulling Felix’s to sleep.

“Go to sleep, little elf,” Chan said and Felix chuckled, too tired to open his eyes. “I’ll watch over you.”

“What a knight,” Felix slurred, the claws of sleep digging into him. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Chan said and Felix could almost hear the smile in his voice. If Chan said anything after that, Felix didn’t know. Warmth and darkness wrapped around him as sleep claimed him.

  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Do you know exactly where you are going?” Jeongin asked. They had begun to make their way up Tremorndin, after finally reaching the path that would lead them through the elven graveyard. Gwanwen if Felix remembered correctly. Felix looked over at him, blinking. “Where is Chan’s home? Do you know?” he continued and Felix bit his lip, shaking his head.

“We haven’t… we haven’t talked about it really,” he murmured and Jeongin nodded slowly. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“No,” Jeongin replied, shaking his head. He looked ahead, eyes fixed at the back of Chan, Minho and Woojin. The three of them were walking in the front, Woojin holding the map as they seemed to chat about the path to take. “I figured… Well.” He shrugged. “I figured we would just… get across the mountain range, to safer grounds, before we started talking about where we wanted to go. Everything went down pretty quickly, we didn’t really have time to plan it.”

“I see,” Felix said, glancing over at Jeongin before focusing on the path ahead of him. Despite it being a man made path, it was still rocky and uneven. They had to be very careful as they climbed up. If Felix could remember the map correctly, they would have to climb over one of the smaller peaks and then down to another peak on the other side of the mountain and then down to the fields.

“But I think… I think that we’ll just follow you,” Jeongin said and Felix nodded, not taking his eyes off the path. He glanced up at Chan’s back, worry chewing on his gut. “If that’s okay, of course.”

“I’m sure it’s just fine,” Felix said, smile on his lips. “The longer we can stick together, the longer we’ll be safe.”

“That is very true,” Jeongin hummed.

“And maybe… maybe it’s better if Chan can… Maybe put in a good word for Woojin,” Felix said, looking back up at Woojin in front of them. Jeongin hummed, looking up at Woojin as well. “I mean, we know he’s harmless but considering the war… I don’t know how people in this kingdom treat lone humans.”

“It’s probably for the best,” Jeongin agrees and Felix nodded. Jeongin sighed heavily and Felix glanced over. “What do you think we can expect?” he asked, shoulder slumped and brows furrowed in worry.

“I don’t really know…” Felix murmured, sighing. “I wish I did but… I don’t.”

“I guess we’ll just wait and see,” Jeongin said, looking back down at the path to make sure he didn’t stumble.

“I guess we have to,” Felix said, following suit. He walked carefully, eyes flickering around as he tried to find the right stones to step on. “I guess we have to.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It felt like someone was watching them. Felix didn’t like it, not at all. He kept throwing a glance over his shoulder but he could never really see anything. He could tell that the others had noticed it too, as they kept glancing around nervously.

The fire was crackling and Minho was chatting with Woojin, asking him about his work in the blacksmithing business as they ate. Jeongin was silent, listening intently to their surroundings. They all knew they were being followed, they had been since they reached the peak. Chan was also on high alert, eyes shifting around the mountain range. The weather was colder than it had been in the south, and Felix suspected that it would be even colder as they continued north but since it was still summer, it wasn’t unbearable.

Felix jumped in surprise when a twig snapped behind them. Chan immediately stood up, low posture and muscles tense as he moved to stand in front of the others. Felix slowly stood up, his heart speeding up in his chest.

Just as he was about so say something, a voice spoke up from the darkness. It was in draconic, low and guttural as they spoke. Felix saw Chan tilt his head before replying in draconic. Felix had only heard him curse in his own language before, but hearing him speak full sentences was completely different.

“It’s… okay,” Chan spoke slowly, glancing over his shoulder as he straightened his back. “You can come out.”

The person that stepped out from the shadows and into the warm, orange light of the campfire looked nothing like Felix had expected. When he had heard draconic, he had expected a dragon like Chan. Human to appearance save for the eyes, which Felix had expected to be the telltale of the draconic heritage. But the figure, stepping out of the shadow was so different.

He had an oval face with chubby jowls, brown hair almost covering his slim eyes and he looked around the camp, worry apparent. In the orange glow, Felix could clearly see the golden scales that covered a majority of his face, leaving only the right cheek and eye with human skin. His right eye was dark, probably brown, while the left one was a bright silver.

“Hi,” he said carefully, his voice much softer than when he had spoken draconic. “I-I… uhm, can I eat with you?”

“Of course,” Woojin said, being the first one to recover from the shock that seemed to have struck them all. Woojin moved over a little, patting the space beside him. “Come sit down.”

“You’re a human,” the stranger said, eyes flickering around the camp as he took in the appearance of the group. “Traveling with a group that are… clearly not human.”

“I am,” Woojin said, nodding his head a little. “I’m Woojin.”

The stranger hesitated before approaching, sitting down beside Woojin. He was wearing a worn set of traveling clothes, a dark gray cloak pulled over it. As he reached for his food in his bag, Felix could see that one of his hands were covered in scales, claws instead of nails while the other was clearly a human hand.

“I’m Seungmin,” he whispered, looking down on his hands. “I’m sorry I’ve been… following you,” he added, still not looking up.

“I’m Felix,” Felix said and Seungmin looked up. Felix moved to sit down, gently grabbing a hold of Chan’s arm to pull him along.

“Chan,” Chan said shortly, eyeing Seungmin closely. Seungmin nodded, shifting his eyes over to Jeongin.

“Jeongin,” he said shortly. He looked beyond confused, and Felix couldn’t blame him. Felix, Minho and Chan were all sort of used to the who non-human business and Woojin was just a very calm and collected person. Jeongin hadn’t had the time to get to know the world he now was a part of.

“I’m Minho,” Minho said, his golden eyes fixed on Seungmin. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to be blunt,” he began and Felix looked between Minho and Seungmin. Seungmin pressed his lips together but nodded slowly. “What are you?”

“Oh,” Seungmin said softly, chuckling almost sadly as he shifted his gaze to the fire. “You haven’t seen anyone like me?”

“I mean,” Minho began, shrugging. “I lived most of my life in Daln, among humans but I used to work at a shop where… non-humans ventured,” he said and Seungmin nodded slowly. “I haven’t… heard anything about people like yourself. I mean no harm, I’m merely curious.”

“There’s not a lot of us,” Seungmin said, staring into the fire. “My father told me about my… kin… when he was still alive, before he went to the war.” He finally took his eyes off the fire to look at the small group. “I’m a half dragon.”

“Oh,” Chan said and Felix turned to look at him, eyebrow raised. “I haven’t actually met one of you but there has been… yeah.”

“Yeah,” Seungmin said, chuckling again as he ran his human hand through his hair. “I know… my father was a dragon and he… he kept me away from both humans and non-humans because of the war.”

“Is that why you’re up here all alone?” Jeongin blurted, eyes widening as he realized what he had just asked. “O-oh, I’m so sorry!” he added quickly but Seungmin shook his head, waving his hand in the air.

“It’s okay,” he said and Jeongin nodded slowly, chewing on his lip. “But yes, that’s why I’ve been alone…” He swallowed hard. “I need… I need to get to Silmator.”

At the mention of Silmator, Chan perked up a little, eyes widening. Felix furrowed his brows as he looked between the two dragons, or dragon and half dragon.

“Why do you need to go there?” Chan asked slowly, eyeing Seungmin closely. There was a tension in the air that Felix couldn’t understand. He looked over at Minho who just mouthed ‘sky castle’ to him.

Oh.

The sky castle, the heart of the dragon kingdom and home to the royal family must be located in Silmator. Felix had never heard about the place itself but he had heard about the sky castle.

“I… I need to talk to the dragons, I need to warn th-”

“Why?” Chan asked, eyes narrowing at Seungmin. “What do you need to tell them?”

“I… I don’t know if it’s true or not,” Seungmin began slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. “But I heard… I heard that the humans ha-have made a deal with someone ‘on the inside’ as they said… I just- I want to help.”

Chan didn’t reply, he just clenched his jaw and turned his gaze to the fire. Seungmin looked nervous, eyes flickering around.

“I-I was just…” Seungmin trailed off, fiddling nervously with his fingers. “I want to help.”

“I need to get to Silmator as well,” Chan said, taking his eyes off the fire. Felix looked over at him, blinking confused. “I- Well the military camp is there, I need to assure them that I am okay and if Seungmin needs to warn them… the Silmator is probably the best place to go.”

“Can I travel with you?” Seungmin asked after a heartbeat of silence, eyes shifting around over the small group. His eyes were filled with doubt and he bit his lower lip. “I-I know I’m… not ideal companion material but I… I can provide some protection,” he said.

“I think we can handle another one,” Jeongin spoke slowly, looking at the others. Woojin and Minho nodded. Felix glanced at Chan who seemed to wait for Felix’s reply.

“The more the merrier, right?” he said and Chan nodded slowly. “I think we’re safer with more people in the group. I don’t mind you joining us, Seungmin.”

“Thank you,” Seungmin breathed, his shoulders slumping and he looked relieved. “I-I appreciate it,” he added, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I really appreciate it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I guess I should have told you where I needed to go,” Chan said as they had begun their journey the following morning. “I should have been more specific and told you SIlmator instead of just back over the mountain range.”

“No I-” Felix cut himself off, chewing on his bottom lip before reaching out to take Chan’s hand. “I don’t mind. I was a bit surprised because… I mean I don’t know a lot about this kingdom but I only knew the sky castle is located there. I didn’t know the military was in that area as well but I assume it makes sense.”

“Yeah…” Chan said slowly, averting his eyes. “I… Do you still want to follow me? You don’t… you don’t have to,” he continued, still not looking at Felix. “I…”

“You’re rambling, love,” Felix said softly, giving Chan’s hand a gentle squeeze and Chan looked up. “I don’t… I don’t know where I’m going, to be honest with you. I haven’t thought much about it actually. I just-”

“Come with me,” Chan cut him off, his expression serious as he looked at Felix. “I… Let me bring you to my home.”

Felix was silent for a moment, studying Chan’s face. He exhaled, breath slightly shaky before nodding. “I… I’d like that.”

“I want…” Chan trailed off as he stopped, tugging at Felix’s hand to get him to stop as well. Felix took a step closer to Chan, placing his free hand on Chan’s cheek. Chan closed his eyes for a second, leaning into Felix’s touch; his skin was warm under Felix’s hand and as he opened his eyes, Felix’s heart fluttered. “I want to give you a home.”

Felix’s breath hitched, emotions bubbling in his chest and he blinked rapidly as tears began to cloud his vision. Home. He had called the cottage in the Bonamore woods home, but had it really been a home? He wasn’t sure. It had been a place of refuge, a safe space but had it been a home?

“I-” A sob slipped past his lips as tears began to roll down his cheeks. Chan let go of Felix’s hand to cradle his face in both hands, gently drying the tears off his cheeks with his thumbs.

“Don’t cry, love,” he cooed as he brought Felix’s face closer, pressing a soft kiss on Felix’s lips. “It hurts me to see you cry.”

“Happy tears,” Felix managed to get out and Chan smiled as he pulled back. “I-I want a home,” he whispered, voice cracking a little. “I want a home,” he repeated, voice a bit more stable this time as he took a deep breath.

“I’ll bring you home,” Chan replied, voice a low murmur. “Not to my home,” he continued, pressing a kiss on Felix’s nose, “to our home.”

Felix swallowed hard, emotions threatening to overwhelm him again. “Thank you,” he whispered, words just barely audible. Chan smiled, leaning his forehead against Felix’s.

“No need to thank me,” he murmured, drying more of Felix’s tears off his cheeks. “We should catch up with the others,” he continued and Felix laughed, drying the tears off his cheeks.

“We should,” he said, sniffling a little as Chan took his hand. Felix gave Chan’s hand a gentle squeeze as the two of them began to walk again, in a quick pace to catch up with the others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Where do we stay tonight?” Minho asked, eyes fixed at the setting sun in the far horizon. Felix furrowed his brows as he thought, looking over at Woojin. Woojin was chewing on his bottom lip, the look in his eyes distant.

“I don’t know… not really,” he said and Minho hummed, rubbing his chin. “Seungmin? Do you know these areas?”

“Not very well,” Seungmin said slowly, eyes flickering around nervously as everyone turned their attention to him. “But I think there is a cave not far from here. We should be able to rest there for the night.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Chan said, shifting his attention to the sky. The clouds were gathering above them, seemingly heavy with rain. To sleep with a roof above their heads seemed to be the right choice tonight. “Lead the way.”

Seungmin nodded, chewing nervously on his bottom lip as he moved to the front of the group. “I’m not exactly sure though,” he said as he joined Felix in the front. Felix shook his head, giving Seungmin a comforting little pat in an attempt to get him to relax a little.

“Try your best and we’ll all help if you can’t find your way,” he said and Seungmin nodded. There was a pause as they walked down the rocky mountain side. The trail across Tremorndin existed, but it was a crude and rough path.

“Can I ask you something?” Seungmin asked, breaking the silence and Felix looked up from the ground to meet Seungmin’s gaze. He just nodded, tilting his head a little as he waited for Seungmin’s question. “What are you?”

“Oh,” Felix said, small smile twitching in the corner of his lips. “I’m a half elf.”

“But shouldn’t… shouldn’t half elves have…” he trailed off, gesturing back towards where Minho was walking. “Pointed ears?”

Felix glanced over his shoulder. Minho had pointed ears, but they were just round enough to pass as possibly deformed human ears.

“According to my mother,” Felix began, raising a hand to brush his fingers over the shell of his ear. “According to her, my ears were way too pointed. I looked too much like an elf as a child and to protect me, she had to cut the tips of my ears off.”

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin said, lowering his head. “I didn’t mean to… to bring back painful memories. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Felix said, shaking his head a little. “I have… It doesn’t bother me. It has kept me safe.” He shrugged. “My mother did what she could to keep me safe.”

“I understand,” Seungmin murmured, shifting his gaze to look ahead.

“If you don’t mind me asking… why… why did your father keep you out here? Were you alone?” Felix asked. Seungmin didn’t reply at first, but Felix could see that he was thinking about the question.

“Half dragons are…” Seungmin swallowed hard, adam’s apple bobbing and shoulders dropping. “Dragons can shift between the two shapes… half dragons ends up being stuck… like mid change,” he began and Felix nodded. “So it’s… there’s no way I can hide what I am.”

“Are you born in the dragon kingdom?” Seungmin nodded. “Then why didn’t you live... there?”

“The war,” Seungmin replied quietly. “We’re a mix between humans and dragons. We’re the filthy traitors according to many and… my father just wanted to protect me. I don’t fit in with humans and I don’t fit in with dragons. Settling down in seclusion was the best option for us.”

“I see…” Felix murmured, eyes fixed on the ground in front of them and Seungmin nodded slowly. “You’re not familiar with these areas at all?”

“Barely,” Seungmin said. Felix was about to say something but as the ground under their feet were tilting downwards and he wasn’t paying enough attention to where he placed his feet, he suddenly stumbled on a rock. Felix’s heart jumped in surprise as Seungmin instinctively grabbed a hold of Felix, draconic claws pressing into Felix’s arm.

“Thank you,” Felix breathed, eyes wide as he stared at the path in front of him.

“You’re welcome,” Seungmin said, small smile tugging on his lips. There was a pause as they continued to walk, quickening their pace a little to catch up with the rest of the group. As they walked, Felix kept glancing around their surroundings. The rocky landscape around them were slowly transforming into highlands, with less sharp edges and grasslands stretching out in front of them. The Tremorndin had a lot of smaller peaks and it looked like they were coming down to yet another small peak.

“Are we getting closer to the elven graveyard?” Jeongin asked, straightening his back a little as he looked around.

“I think we’re here,” Minho said.

They continued to walk down the path and soon enough, carefully placed rocks in throughout patterns started appearing. They had reached the resting place of the departed.

“Why is it called Gwanwen?” Woojin asked as they stopped, looking out over the graveyard in front of them. “What does it mean?”

“Departed,” both Minho and Felix replied at the same time. Woojin let out a soft ‘oh’.

“It’s beautiful,” Chan said quietly, looking over the graveyard as the setting sun cast a warm, golden glow over the place. It looked peaceful, beautiful as the high grass swayed in the gentle summer breeze.

“It is,” Minho agreed before he started walking again. The path they traveled on went right through the graveyard and as they passed, they kept their pace slow just so they could take everything in. It was so peaceful; truly a resting place for the departed. A sense of calm rested over the whole area. The wind caused Felix’s hair to move a little and Felix’s heart felt so warm.

He could see the Almárëa Telf in front of them, a bit obscured by the sparse forest that covered the base of the mountain. It looked so beautiful, the bright colors of summer so clear and soft in contrast to the harsh, rocky areas they had just passed. Felix almost forgot what they were doing and everything that was going on; the whole place was just so overwhelmingly calm.

“I think we just need to walk down until that grove,” Seungmin said, pointing at the forest ahead of them. “If we turn left down there, we should find the cave.”

“Let’s go then,” Chan said and Felix snapped out of the daze, taking his eyes off the graveyard to look at Chan. Worry returned, churning it his gut as he studied Chan. The wound was still not fully healed and Felix had no idea when it would heal properly. He really wished they could just rest so they could give Chan the chance to recover.

He bit his lip as Chan in the front, began to walk in a faster pace towards the grove. They continued to walk quickly and quietly as the sun was setting. They were all getting tired and in dire need of rest. Wordlessly, they all turned left at the place where Seungmin said they would.

As they turned left, Seungmin moved to the front of the group. Felix watched curiously as Seungmin blinked rapidly a few times, and the one brown eye changed to match the silver one. The pupils both slimmed down to narrow slits and he looked around the area. He crouched down, placing his palm firmly against the ground.

“It’s this way,” he said, grinning as he turned to the group. He blinked a few times again and the right eye returned to its dark brown color. Chan threw Felix a glance and Felix just shrugged. He had no idea what just happened but he decided to trust Seungmin in this moment.

As they followed Seungmin down the mountain, towards the cave, Felix’s hand brushed against Chan’s and he just instinctively laced their fingers together. Chan looked over at him, small smile tugging on his lips and Felix’s heart fluttered in his chest.

“How are you?” Chan asked, voice a quiet whisper.

“I’m good,” Felix replied, giving Chan’s hand a squeeze. “How is the wound? Are you in pain?”

“I think it’s alright,” Chan said and Felix nodded, keeping his eyes on Chan. “I haven’t felt any pain today. I think it’s fine. Don’t think about trying to heal it.” He brushed his thumb over the uneven skin on the back of Felix’s hand. “You need all the energy you can get.”

“You need to get better,” Felix said, glancing down at the ground to make sure he didn’t slip or stumble. “You’re more impo-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Chan snapped, eyes flaring up and Felix pressed his lips together. “I’m no more important than you,” he continued, voice softer this time. “You can’t say those things.”

“But I-”

“You’re precious, especially to me,” Chan said and Felix swallowed hard, lump building up in his throat. “So please don’t… just don’t bring yourself down,” he said, giving Felix’s hand a squeeze. Felix’s chest felt tight and he opened his mouth to reply but Seungmin spoke up.

“There!” he said and they all turned their attention ahead. Hidden by bushes and a few small trees, a small cave in the side of the mountain opened itself. Relief washed over Felix. They would get to rest safely tonight.

Jeongin was the first one to just bolt to the cave, keeping quiet as he did to make sure there wasn’t anything in the cave.

“It’s fine!” he called out as the others got closer. Chan let go of Felix’s hand as they entered the cave. The cave was round, roof that would shelter them from the rain that weighed heavy in the air. It looked like the cave continued in further, but judging by the way his companions just put down their bags and bedrolls on the ground, Felix assumed that none of them were interested in investigating it further.

As all companions were inside, Felix pulled out the ball of silver thread from his pocket. He laid the thread down on the ground, mumbling the incantation as he did.

“What’s that?” Seungmin asked, eyes wide as Felix straightened his back after placing the thread on the ground.

“It’s just a… protection thing,” he explained and Seungmin nodded, lips slightly parted. “It’s not very strong but it will handle one impact from something and it’s going to give off a sound to alert us. It allows us all to sleep tonight.”

“Oh,” Woojin said softly, looking at the thread before back at Felix. “That’s very useful,” he continued as he begun to pull out their cooking supplies. Jeongin was working on a fire, using the firewood he had been collecting during the day. It would be enough to cook dinner and breakfast over.

“It is,” Felix murmured, smiling a little. “We should get some dinner going,” he said, changing the subject. As Woojin worked on the dinner, getting some help from Chan, Felix moved to join Minho in the corner of the cave.

“How are you feeling?” Minho asked as Felix sat down beside him.

“I’m… good, I’m good,” Felix said, sighing as he leaned against Minho. Minho didn’t move, he just let Felix lean all his weight against him. He felt exhausted, his limbs so heavy. “How are you?”

“Tired,” Minho murmured and Felix hummed. “I never expected to make this journey. I was happy in Daln, even if I had to be careful and hide.”

“I understand,” Felix said, sighing. “I just want this war to end… for all the resentment and hate to end… But maybe… maybe it’s too much to ask for.”

“Maybe it is…” Minho said, patting Felix’s thigh. “But… I guess we have to try and brave ourselves. We’re heading towards a new life, a safer life. I think it’s going to be… better…”

“Things will get better,” Felix said, taking his eyes off Chan and Woojin as they prepared their dinner in front of them and instead looked outside the cave. The clouds had given up, opening up and the rain was pouring down outside. The cold and dampness of the rain was already starting to creep closer as the sun was setting and the sky darkened, but the small fire provided some warmth and light. “Things will get better.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Felix,” Chan whispered and Felix slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, blinking awake and he looked around the cave. Moonlight was shining in through the opening and the fire had died down, leaving only a faint orange glow. The rain had gone from a heavy downpour to a lighter rainfall, the droplets smattering against the rock of the cave that sheltered them.

“What are you…” Felix trailed off, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the sleep.

“I found something,” Chan said, voice still hushed to not disturb their companions. “I need to show it to you.”

Felix frowned but he stood up. Chan gave their companions a quick glance before he gently took Felix’s hand and begun to pull him deeper into the cave. Felix, brain still muddled from sleep, just followed Chan. The cave walls were rough, created by nature and age and the tunnel ahead of them seemed almost endless.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Chan begun and Felix nodded, brain finally starting to catch up with him. Everything was dark and without a lightsource, Felix’s vision slowly faded over to monochrome as his eyes adjusted. He still couldn’t see far ahead of them, but what he saw was all in grayscale.

“So you decided to walk further into the cave without knowing what you would find?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. Chan turned around to look at him, sheepish smile stretching on his lips.

“Exactly,” Chan said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I didn’t go… too far though. We found a _really_ deep cave, but I wanted to bring you with me.”

“Okay?” Felix said, furrowing his brows again.

“You’ll see what I mean,” Chan said, offering Felix a smug grin before turning to look ahead again. The tunnel was still round, edges rough and uneven as they continued to walk. Beside from their gentle footfall, Felix could hear the distant sound of dripping water ahead of them.

The tunnel slowly opened in front of them and a large, rectangular room presented itself. This was such a contrast to the tunnel they just left. Every angle in this room was so obviously man made, carved into the stone with utter precision. Felix couldn’t see how far the room stretched itself in front of them, no matter how much he squinted and tried. He could see a faint bit of light in the far end of the room.

“I think this has been a temple,” Chan whispered and Felix took his off the silver light source to look at Chan. “Look at the floor,” he continued and Felix did as told. Countless of runes covered the floor. Felix let go of Chan’s hand, crouching down to brush his fingers over the runes. The stone was worn in some places, possibly after years and years of people walking the same path.

“I can’t… I don’t recognize the language,” Felix said, keeping his voice hushed. He didn’t want to disturb the peace in the chamber. Whatever was here or had been here had to be respected. Chan crouched down beside him, running his fingers over the symbols. “It looks kind of like Elvish,” he mused and Chan hummed. “But older?”

“There’s some influences of draconic too,” Chan added and Felix furrowed his brows. “But they’re not enough that I can make out what it says.”

Felix stood up and Chan followed suit, immediately reaching for Felix’s hand.

“Did you go further than this?”

“I didn’t,” Chan said, shaking his head a little as they began to walk again. Their footsteps were echoing softly in the vast hall. Felix could only have imagined how grand it must have been before it was abandoned.

“Is this from before the Eruvafendë?” Felix asked, eyes still wandering around the room. If this was before the Eruvafendë, before the veil protecting them from the other realms was wrapped around their world, this place must have been stunning. It wasn’t uncommon, according to the stories, that the deities visited their worshippers and their temples during the first age. But after the veil was established, their influence was blocked out.

“Maybe,” Chan said, tightening his grip of Felix’s hand as they got closer to the source of light. “It’s possible. I didn’t know about this so… I think it’s safe to say it’s from the first age,” he said and Felix nodded.

They continued until they reached the faint source of light. The light came from a symbol of the wall and Felix tilted his head, leaning a little closer. The symbol on the wall was two bird heads in profile, one facing east and one facing west. The one facing west was dark, edges of it smeared against the stone wall, while the one facing east was glowing in a gentle silver light, providing some light in the dark space.

“Have you seen this symbol before?” Felix asked, turning to look at Chan. Chan was looking at the symbol, his face illuminated by it and the glow reflecting in his eyes. Felix’s breath hitched as he looked at Chan.

“I haven’t,” Chan murmured, turning his head to meet Felix’s gaze. There was a pause as they just stared at each other, their surroundings so silent that Felix could hear Chan’s breathing. Chan reached out a hand, brushing his fingers over Felix’s dark hair before settling his hand on Felix’s cheek.

“You’re so beautiful,” Felix whispered, just barely audible. Chan didn’t say anything, he just kept his eyes locked with Felix’s before he leaned in to press his lips against Felix’s. His lips were dry and rough, just like Felix’s, but they way they moved against Felix’s lips was gentle and so caring. Felix’s heart swelled in his chest as he reached up with his free hand to grab a hold of Chan’s shirt, tugging him a bit closer. “I love you,” he breathed against Chan’s lips.

“I love you too,” Chan replied, his lips brushing over Felix’s before kissing him again. “I don’t…” He cut himself off, laughing a little and his breath hit Felix’s lips in small puffs of air. “You haven’t been in my life for a long period of time, but you’re already such an important person in my life.”

“I-” Felix didn’t have enough time before Chan kissed him, his voice ending up muffled against Chan’s lips and he could feel a laugh bubble in his chest as Chan pulled back. “I honestly don’t know what I… what I would do without you.”

“You don’t have to worry,” Chan whispered, nose brushing against Felix’s and his yellow eyes so soft and almost glowing in the dark as he looked at Felix. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t,” Felix said, pressing a short kiss on Chan’s lips before pulling back. “Should we continue?” he asked and Chan nodded, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone before letting his arm drop to his side.

The sound of dripping water was clearer now and when they turned to look ahead, Felix could see the glimmer of silver and rings traveling over the surface in front of them. They continued to walk in silence, hand in hand, until they reached the edge of the water.

At first glance it looked like water, but as Felix looked closer he realized that it was not water at all. The liquid was a silver color, not simply a silver reflection from the faint light of the symbol on the wall. They both crouched down and Felix reached out to dip his fingers in the liquid. It was thicker than water and cool to the touch. He brought his fingers up to his nose and smelled it, furrowing his brows; it smelled a bit metallic but otherwise it was scentless.

“Do you have any idea what this is?” Felix said, glancing over at Chan. Chan shook his head, eyes fixed in front of them. Felix followed his line of sight, to the other side of the pool. There was a gleam of something beyond the pool.

“Should we go and see what it is?” Chan asked as they stood up again. Felix nodded and gave Chan’s hand a squeeze, eyes still fixed at the light on the other side of the pool. The pool wasn’t deep, the deepest part of it just reaching up to their knees as they waded through the liquid.

“This is…” Felix trailed off as they stepped out of the pool. The cave on this side of the pool was much like the tunnel they had come from. As they walked towards the soft light, Felix could see small crystals adorning the cave walls.

Much like the tunnel had open to reveal the perfectly rectangular room, the short tunnel opened in front of them and presented a much larger cave. But this one was uneven, edges rough and clearly not man made. The source of the light came from hundreds and hundreds of crystals in various shapes. Most crystals were white, emitting a silver glow but Felix could see crimson gems here and there, these ones giving off a dark red light.

“It’s beautiful,” Felix breathed, eyes wide as he looked around the cave. Chan just let out a hum in agreement and Felix looked over at him. Chan was letting his eyes wander the chamber before shifting them back to meet Felix’s eyes.

“Felix,” he said, his tone serious as he let go of Felix’s hand.

“Yes?” Felix asked softly, voice just barely a whisper.

“I… I want to… I wanted to bring you somewhere private to talk to you,” he said and Felix tilted his head a little, waiting for Chan to continue explaining. “Felix of the Bonamore woods,” he began, his voice louder and tone more regal than before. “I want to swear an oath to you, a promise.”

“Oh.”

“Felix of the Bonamore woods,” he said and Felix inhaled sharply. As Chan spoke, Felix noted the way the crystals around them seemed to brighten a little. “I pledge myself to you and promise to stay by your side for as long as my soul exist. I will follow you till the end of the world and I promise to protect you and wait for you.”

Felix’s chest was getting tighter for every word Chan spoke and he could feel emotions welling up again. He didn’t really know what to say and he inhaled sharply.

“I…” he trailed off, reaching out to take Chan’s hand and the light around them got even brighter. “I make this promise to you, Chan of the dragons, to continue to walk by your side for eternity.” He took a deep breath. “I make this vow to you, to find you and be with you for as long as this world exist.”

Chan exhaled shakily, placing a hand on Felix’s cheek and let his thumb brush over Felix’s cheekbone.

“I am so utterly in love with you,” Felix breathed, his heart hammering in his chest. “I beg every deity in all the realms to let us be together,” he continued as Chan leaned closer to him. Chan’s breath was ghosting over Felix’s lips and Felix brought his hand up to rest on Chan’s chest. Chan’s heartbeat was rapid, beating hard under Felix’s palm.

“I promise you, Felix, to love you for as long as I am breathing, and beyond,” Chan whispered, pressing his lips against Felix’s. Felix could feel his chest tighten and it felt like the temperature in the cave around them rose. His whole body felt warm as he kissed Chan, holding onto him for dear life. “Never let me go.”

“I won’t,” Felix promised, lips brushing over Chan’s. “I won’t.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The heavy rainfall had gone down to a light sprinkle as they returned to the mouth of the cave. The sun was starting to rise on the horizon and despite only getting a few hours of sleep, Felix felt refreshed and energized. Their companions had still not woken up and instead of going to sleep, Felix decided that maybe it was better to cook some breakfast.

Chan was sitting beside him the whole time, keeping an eye on him as he moved to get the small fire going again.

“Hey,” Minho said, sitting up. His eyes were droopy, hair messy as he looked around the camp. “Is it already morning?”

“Yeah,” Felix said as he gave the pot of porridge a stir. Minho grumbled and laid down again. “You didn’t sleep very well?”

“No,” Minho replied, turning his eyes up to the ceiling. “Where did the two of you go?” he asked after a moment of silence.

“Did we wake you up?” Chan asked and Minho hummed. Chan glanced over at Felix who just shrugged. Telling Minho where they went probably wouldn’t hurt. “We just went further into the cave. It turned out to be pretty deep.”

“Oh,” Minho said as he sat up again. “Did you find anything interesting?”

“It seems to be an old temple,” Chan said and Minho nodded his head slowly. “The language on the floor was a weird mix of old elvish and draconic, probably something else too,” he continued and Minho hummed as he stood up.

“That’s odd, but interesting,” he said as he started to get dressed. As they had begun talking, Woojin had woken up and Jeongin and Seungmin had begun to stir awake.

“Has it stopped raining?” Jeongin asked before he even opened his eyes. “I don’t want to leave if it’s still raining.”

“It’s just a light sprinkle, you big baby,” Woojin said softly as he crouched down beside Jeongin. Jeongin cracked an eye open, frowning as he looked up at Woojin. “Come on. We need to eat breakfast and get a move on,” he continued, grinning as Jeongin got up, still grumbling as he got dressed and joined the others.

Felix gave the porridge in the pot another stir just as a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He wasn’t the only one that noticed the movement just outside the mouth of the cave. He glanced down on the ground, the silver thread still resting on the ground and then back up to where he had seen the movement.

“Hello?” Chan called out carefully and Felix held his breath. There was a pause, a moment of silence where they all just waited for a reply. At the sound of a rustling bush outside the cave, all of them tensed up and stared as a humanoid figure stepped out into the light.

He was tall, taller than all of them with ash blond hair almost falling in his eyes. His face was small, heart shaped with wide, golden brown eyes. His lips were full, slightly parted as he looked like he was about to say something. Felix couldn’t be sure what he actually was, with a white circle on his forehead, a vertical white line down the bridge of his nose and a short line just under his lip and small flowers, barely blooming, sticking out from his messy hair.

“I didn’t mean to sneak up on you,” he spoke, his tone soft and barely a whisper in the warm morning air. “I’m sorry… I heard you talking and…” he trailed off, rubbing his arm awkwardly. He didn’t appear to be a threat to them and Felix glanced over his companions as all of them relaxed a little.

“Who are you?” Minho asked, eyes fixed on the stranger and eyebrows furrowed.

“My name is Hyunjin and… and I was just wondering…” His words were mumbled, eyes slowly shifting over to look at the pot over the fire. On a closer inspection, Felix noted just how skinny he was. He looked kind of young, maybe around Felix’s age but his cheeks were hollow and made him look older so Felix couldn’t really tell.

“Are you hungry?” Woojin asked just as Felix began to approach Hyunjin. He could hear Chan protest from behind him, but he raised his hand to signal to Chan that he knew what he was doing. Hyunjin nodded, eyes not leaving the pot.

“I think there’s enough for you as well,” Felix said as he crouched down beside the silver thread. He murmured the same words he had uttered the night before and the faint glow of the thread faded. He picked the thread up, quickly rolling it up to place it back in his pocket.

“You’re welcome to join us,” Chan said, still eyeing Hyunjin closely but his posture was way more relaxed than before. Hyunjin looked over them all, eyes darting around nervously before he approached the pot over the fire. He almost looked like a starving animal and Felix’s heart felt heavy.

“You sure?” Hyunjin asked slowly, brows furrowed in worry but he sat down as Seungmin and Jeongin both nodded. He looked really hesitant as he let his eyes over the group. “Thank you,” he murmured as Minho wordlessly handed him a bowl.

“Are you traveling towards… the dragon kingdom?” Jeongin asked after a moment of silence. Felix returned to sit down beside Chan, keeping his eyes on Hyunjin as he ate. There was a pause as Woojin began to hand out small bowls of food. Felix just settled to share bowl with Chan as they were one bowl short.

“I am…” Hyunjin said slowly between bites. “I… I was…” he trailed off, staring down into his bowl. “I’m from the Willow woods… and we’ve been left alone by the humans for a long time.” He shrugged. “But a while ago the humans got to the woods and we had to- we had to leave,” he whispered, his voice wavering. “They set the forest on fire. I got separated from my friends and I just… all I know is that I have to get across this mountain range.”

“Do you want to travel with us?” Woojin asked after a moment of silence and Hyunjin snapped his head up, blinking. “That would be alright, wouldn’t it?” he continued, directing the question to the rest of the group.

“I don’t see why not,” Minho replied, nodding his head a little as he let his eyes wander over the small group. “We’re already a group of rather mismatched strays. We can take another, no?”

“Of course,” Chan said, glancing over at Felix before looking back at Hyunjin. “Do you want to come with us?”

“I-I- yes,” Hyunjin said, eyes wide and glossy. “I-If you let me… I’d love to.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Almárëa Telf were a lot like the fields between Crowuld and Norrwuld, with the seemingly endless road they walked along. But unlike the somewhat barren and dry fields in the south, the fields around them were golden and glowing.

Felix was walking hand in hand with Chan, letting his gaze wander over the fields of endless gold. They still hadn’t met anyone since they passed the Tremorndin, except Hyunjin, but Chan had assured them that the Almárëa Telf was a lifeless place, especially with the ongoing war. People didn’t like to live close to the border of the kingdoms during the war.

Hyunjin was walking in the back, beside Jeongin and Seungmin and Felix could hear them chatting about the Willow Woods. After breakfast and after they got over the initial awkwardness, Hyunjin quickly blended in with the group. It was like a puzzle, like they had found a piece that somehow fitted right in with the rest of the pieces.

Felix had chatted with him briefly, learning that Hyunjin was a half-dryad, descendant of a birch apparently. Felix himself knew next to nothing about dryads, or half-dryads for that matter. He just made a mental note to talk to Hyunjin about this more later.

“Guys,” Minho called out, grabbing Woojin’s arm to stop him and the whole group came to a halt. Felix looked at Minho as Minho raised a hand to point at something on the sky. When he looked up, he could see two large shadows on the sky. He squinted for a moment, only to widen his eyes as he realized what it was.

Dragons.

“Chan!” he said, turning to look at Chan who was just staring at the approaching dragons with wide eyes. He was about to tighten his grip of Chan but Chan just pulled his hand away from Felix, stepping in front of the group. He held out his hands, his eyes fixed at the two large dragons.

As they got closer, Felix was finally able to make out the colors of their scales and the features. One had red scales, a slim neck with horns curled backwards as opposed to Chan whose horns were twisted forward. The red dragon’s leathery wings stretched far and a sail adorned its spine all the way from its head to its tail. The other dragon was smaller, bright blue scales gleaming in the sun. The wings and the scales on the stomach were a pale yellow and it had a single large horn on its snout.

The ground shook as the two landed in front of them and the red one let out a growl as it looked them over. But as they both settled their eyes on Chan, they both took a step back and Felix felt like he just blinked and the dragons were gone.

“Chan!” a blue haired humanoid said, rushing up to Chan and Chan winced a little at the impact. “You’re okay!”

“Careful, Jisung,” Chan said, patting the other on the back. Jisung pulled back and Felix finally got a better look on his face. He had large eyes, irises a pale almost white yellow color, and a round face. His hair was dark blue and long, almost covering his eyes and he brushed it away from his forehead as he looked the group over.

“Where have you been?” the other asked as he stepped forward. He had an angular face, a strong jaw and chin with droopy and almost sleepy looking eyes, irises a bright orange as he looked over them. His black hair was swept away from his eyes, the sides of his head shorter than the rest. “You’ve been gone for a long time.”

“I got injured,” Chan said, glancing over to Felix. The black haired one shifted his eyes over to Felix, looking him up and down. “Quite badly,” Chan added but the man didn’t take his eyes off Felix. “Felix saved me.”

“Hm,” he said, straightening his back a little and he took his eyes off Felix. “Either way, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“I am too,” Chan mused before turning around to face their group. “This is Changbin,” he gestured to the black haired man, “and this is Jisung.”

Both dragons let their eyes wander over the group before giving them all a little nod.

“This is Woojin, Jeongin, Minho, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Felix,” Chan continued. Felix glanced to his side, to his companions and they looked just about as awkward as he felt.

“This is… quite the interesting set of people,” Changbin said slowly. “A phoenix, a dryad descendant, two of fey heritage, a half dragon and…” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Woojin. “A human.”

Woojin stiffened, body remaining frozen in place as Changbin looked him up and down. Jisung tilted his head, eyeing Woojin with curious, yellow eyes. Jeongin looked nervous, eyes flickering around and the fire in his eyes sparking. Felix glanced at Chan, just praying that Chan would stop the two dragons before anything happened.

“Woojin has traveled with us for a long time,” Chan said calmly. “You do not have to worry about him.”

“You trust him?” Jisung asked, not taking his eyes off Woojin. Chan glanced over at Woojin, looking him over before looking back at Jisung just as Jisung looked back at Chan.

“With my life,” he confirmed. The tension in the air was starting to dissipate, bleeding away as both Changbin and Jisung relaxed.

“What happened?” Jisung finally asked as he turned back to Chan. Chan sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I got injured, badly and I fell in the Bonamore woods as I tried to make it back home,” Chan explained and Jisung hummed, eyes fixed at Chan as he spoke. “Felix found me and he’s been helping me back.”

“You were in the Bonamore woods?” Changbin asked, looking over at Felix. Felix didn’t reply, he just nodded wordlessly. “In the human territory?” Another nod. “What were _you_ doing in the human territory?” Changbin asked, taking a step towards Felix but he froze in place as a growl rumbled in Chan’s chest.

“Don’t you _dare_ distrust him, Changbin,” he hissed, moving over to stand in front of Felix. Felix just looked between Chan, Changbin, Jisung and the others. He honestly had no idea what was really going on right now. “He has gone through enough to get me here, the last thing he needs is distrust. The last thing any of these people need is distrust.”

“I don’t think Changbin meant to distrust them,” Jisung said in a soft voice. “But… uhm, we were just told to be careful. The queen made sure to tell us that.”

“I see,” Chan said, expression growing dark. There was a pause where no one said anything and Felix could see the tension in Chan’s posture. He reached out to gently take Chan’s hand, brushing his thumb over Chan’s hand. Chan didn’t look at him, he kept his eyes fixed at Changbin and Jisung, but his stance became a bit more relaxed and he gave Felix’s hand a small squeeze.

“We thought that we might have lost you,” Changbin said, crossing his arms over his chest. “The queen was… was worried too. She sent us out to look for you.” There was no change in Chan’s expression as he nodded slowly. “I’m glad you’re alright,” he continued, reaching out to pat Chan’s arm.

“I wish we could say that things has gotten better while you’ve been gone but…” Jisung’s shoulders dropped. “I’m afraid it’s quite the opposite… The humans are advancing in the south and… yeah.”

“Are… uhm…” Seungmin spoke up, immediately freezing in place and going quiet as Jisung and Changbin looked at him. “I was- I overheard someone... in Tremorndin. There was a-a human and a dragon. They made a deal. I don’t know if it’s true or not but I-I need to get to the Sky castle to warn them.”

“A dragon who made a deal with a human?” Changbin asked, looking over Chan and Jisung. “That can’t be good.”

Just as Chan opened his mouth to say something, another shadow moved across the sky and they all turned their attention up. A large, black dragon was approaching them and it moved fast across the sky. It was larger than Chan, but not as bulky as Chan was in dragon shape. It was leaner, moving swiftly but it too had the large gray horns curled forward and the almost greenish leathery wings.

Felix tightened his grip of Chan’s hand, moving even closer to Chan. He wasn’t sure what was going on and he wasn’t sure if he should be scared of this dragon or not.

A growl rumbled in the dragon’s chest as it landed with a heavy thud. Dust kicked up at the impact on the dry ground and it rolled out like a wave from where the dragon had landed. Felix coughed, waving his hand in front of his face to get rid of the dust.

As the dust settled, the black dragon was no more. In its place was a woman. She was dressed in dark, almost black robes adorned with golden embroideries. Her long, black hair framed her face, her cheeks a bit on the rounder side and her yellow eyes serious as she looked over the group of nine in front of her. Felix felt stunned, at loss for words in front of her. She was beautiful; frighteningly beautiful.

Felix could hear Chan inhale and straighten his back. When he looked at Chan, he almost felt like he was looking at a different person. Chan’s expression was serious, his eyes neutral as he looked at the woman in front of them.

She began to approach them and both Changbin and Jisung both bowed deeply.

“My queen,” Changbin said as he straightened his back. “We were just going to return,” he continued and the woman hummed as she stopped. Felix’s eyes widened at Changbin’s words. The queen. This was the queen of the dragons, the leader of the northwest. He had heard some about her, but because it was mostly human rumors they were less than positive.

“I see you found my brother,” she spoke, her voice soft but there was something else in her voice that Felix couldn’t really pinpoint. “That’s something at least.”

“Official and serious as usual I see, sister,” Chan spoke and she turned to look at him. There was a pause as the two of them just stared at each other. “My queen,” Chan said, bowing his head as he broke the silence. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you alive,” the queen spoke, giving Chan a little nod, “crown prince.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hELLOOOOOOOO im back with another chapter uwu i hope you all liked it and i hope i didn't miss any major mistakes iwi <3
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, ily <3 
> 
> you can find me @ pinkpunchmango on twt and cc


	4. At the foot of the hills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Into the unknown, towards the hills in the distance._

 

 

 

 

Felix blinked, looking between the Queen and Chan. The tension in the air was so thick and almost suffocating. Chan’s jaw was clenched, his whole posture tense and he exhaled loudly. It was as if the whole group held their breaths as the two of them looked at each other. Felix’s head was spinning with questions.

“Where have you been, brother?” the Queen asked, breaking the silence and she let her eyes linger on Chan before looking over to the rest. “You’ve gathered quite the group as well… and a human. I suppose he’s not like the others, considering you’ve kept him alive.”

“He’s a good person,” Chan said, glancing over his shoulder in Woojin’s direction before sighing. “I was injured, I fell in the Bonamore woods,” he continued, voice stiff and Felix furrowed his brows as he looked between the two siblings again. “I can’t shift.”

“You can’t shift?” Jisung blurted, quickly covering his mouth and Changbin muttered an apology, grabbing a hold of Jisung’s arm to pull him back a little. Chan glanced at them, then back to the Queen and then he looked at Felix.

“He shouldn’t shift,” Felix said slowly, his eyes flickering around nervously as the attention shifted to him. He felt so small under everyone’s eyes; especially under the Queen’s. “It’s… it’s too risky.”

“How do you know that?” the Queen asked, taking a step towards Felix. Chan immediately tensed up, moving in front of Chan. “I wish him no harm, brother,” she said, voice softer and she placed a hand on Chan’s shoulder.

“I’ve worked with shifters before,” Felix replied, trying his best to keep his voice steady. The Queen was still staring at him with her piercing, yellow eyes but her gaze was getting softer and Felix felt more at ease. “It’s dangerous when the body is trying to heal itself.”

“You’re right,” she said, nodding her head a little. “What’s your name, little half-elf?”

“Felix.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Felix,” she said, reaching out a hand to shake Felix’s. “I’m Hyunjung. Thank you for saving my brother.”

“What are you doing here?” Chan asked and Hyunjung took her eyes off Felix. “Shouldn’t you be in Silmator? In the Sky castle?”

Hyunjung’s face became serious again, the soft smile dropping off her face. She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. “The green dragons betrayed us.”

“They- what?” Chan said, looking over at Changbin and Jisung. Both of them looked as shocked as he was. “You… you were right, Seungmin,” he breathed, looking over at Seungmin who looked frozen in place.

“You knew?” Hyunjung asked and Chan sighed, brushing his hair to the side before he gave Seungmin a nod.

“I was… I overheard two individuals talking up in the Tremorndin about a deal between dragons and humans. It sounded odd to me and I thought I should warn the dragons. That’s why I’m traveling towards the Sky castle,” he explained and Hyunjung nodded slowly.

“That’s thoughtful of you,” Hyunjung said, shoulders dropping. “Very noble of you.”

“I’m sorry,” Seungmin said, lowering his head.

“No, don’t be,” Hyunjung said and he looked up again, eyes wide. “You did what you could. I can’t ask more of you.”

"I should have guessed," Chan hissed and Hyunjung's gaze hardened. “What now?” he asked, lacing his fingers together with Felix’s. “What should we do? If we let the Sky castle go… It’ll be the end.”

“I know,” Hyunjung said, glancing down at Felix’s and Chan’s hands before looking at Chan. “I’m heading towards Myllin to regroup with the army. We’re heading towards Silmator after that.”

“What should we do?” Jisung asked, voice quiet, his posture hunched and muscles tense as he interrupted Chan and Hyunjung’s conversation. Hyunjung sighed, shoulders dropping as she looked over the group.

“It might be too much for me to ask of you,” she began, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. “But I need your help.”

“You don’t have to ask me,” Chan said and Felix turned to look at him, eyes wide. Chan glanced back at Felix, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “I have to protect my own home.” He inhaled sharply. “Our home,” he added quietly, only for Felix to hear. Felix could feel a lump building up in his throat and he swallowed hard.

“We intend to fulfill our duty to serve the prince and this kingdom,” Changbin said and Jisung nodded in agreement.

Hyunjung nodded, her gaze fixed at the three dragons before she looked over the rest of the group. Felix squeezed Chan’s hand, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll help,” he said, straightening his back to meet Hyunjung’s gaze. His heart was hammering in his chest and he was sure the rest could hear it racing. He could feel Chan’s stares at him but he tried his best to keep his gaze locked with Hyunjung’s. Hyunjung looked him over again, nodding her head slowly. “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Me too,” Minho said, stepping forward. Seungmin nodded, worry apparent in his eyes but he looked determined.

“We’ll help,” Woojin said and Jeongin nodded, the fire in his eyes flickering. Hyunjin also nodded, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. “We’ll help if we can.”

“I appreciate that,” Hyunjung said, looking over them all again. “It’s a lot of me to ask of you but… but I think we need all of you.”

“What should we do?” Chan asked, shifting his eyes over to Hyunjung. “What can we do?”

“The green dragons, along with humans, took us by surprise and took the Sky Castle from us,” Hyunjung said, her gaze wandering over the others as she spoke. “They took us by surprise and I think the best way, for you all, to go is to get into the city and try to take them by surprise. I will bring the backup from Myllin and since it’s a majority of dragons, we will attack from the sky.”

“Okay,” Chan said. Hyunjung nodded, taking a deep breath. “I guess we better get going then.”

“I suppose that’s for the best. We need to be as quick as possible,” Hyunjung said, shoulders dropping. “You can’t fly all the way to Silmator,” she continued, looking over to Jisung and Changbin. “But you should be able to fly to the temple of Caesinmor and stay the night there.”

“That sounds like our best plan,” Chan said, glancing over to Jisung and Changbin. “Can you two shift and get the rest of us to the temple of Caesinmor?”

“Sure,” Changbin said nodding his head before shifting. Jisung quickly followed suit and the two dragons kept their eyes fixed at Chan, waiting for what he was going to say.

“Be careful, brother,” Hyunjung said, taking a step closer to Chan. She reached out to brush the back of her hand over Chan’s cheek, sad smile on her face. “I’ll try to come to your aid as fast as I can.”

“Take care, sister,” Chan said and Hyunjung nodded, sighing as she looked over to Felix.

“Take care of him for me,” she said, patting Felix on the cheek. Felix nodded, a lump in his throat building up. With that, Hyunjung took a step back. She looked over them again, taking a deep breath. “Good luck. All of you,” she said, shifting to her dragon form.

The black dragon let out a huff, green wings opening before it took off. As the black dragon grew smaller and smaller, Felix looked over to Chan. Chan’s jaw was clenched, his whole body tense and Felix furrowed his brows in worry.

“Let’s go,” Chan said before Felix could say anything, letting go of Felix’s hand to walk towards Changbin. “We need to move quickly.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The walls of the temple of Caesinmor were pristine, pale marble and covered in twisted vines, creating beautiful patterns on the outside. The building itself was square with two towers on each side. As they walked closer, Felix could see the large oak door. The wood was dark with silver markings all over it. He could only read parts of the writings, the ones in elvish and it just seemed to be a prayer to Caesinmor.

“Are we going to be safe here?” he asked Chan as they walked up to the door. Chan bit his lip, reaching out to take Felix’s hand. He held Felix’s hand in a firm grip, his eyes fixed on the large door.

“I think we will,” he said and Jisung hummed behind them. “Caesinmor is a neutral deity, she does not take sides. Nor do her followers.”

“That’s… comforting, I guess,” Felix mumbled, giving Chan’s hand a squeeze as Chan knocked on the door. There was a pause and Felix glanced over his shoulder, back to look over their companions. They were all tense, holding their breath as the door opened.

“Hello. Can I help you?” a woman asked, her voice soft. As the door opened further, Felix got a better look at her. It was a lithe woman, her skin was dark, golden marks on her face and arms in stark contrast. Her black hair was pulled up in a ponytail and a pair of antlers were adorned with multiple ornaments, chiming softly as she looked over the nine of them. She was dressed in white, sleeves only reaching to her elbows to expose the deity marks.

“Hello,” Chan greeted, nodding his head. “We’re… We’re in need of shelter for the night…” he trailed off, glancing over the group behind him. “Can we stay here?”

There was a pause as the woman looked them over a second time before smiling widely, her golden eyes twinkling. “Our mother welcomes you with open arms,” she said, opening the door further and stepped to the side to let them all enter.

The hallway they entered was narrow, walls white and clean with candles adorning the walls. It was beautiful. The marbled floor had more markings, more letters in something that looked like an older version of elvish.

“We have a room where you can stay in, no beds but it’s a roof above your head. Is that alright?” the woman asked, glancing over her shoulder as she lead them through the hallway.

“Roof above our head is the only thing we ask for,” Chan replied. Felix kept looking around the temple as they followed the woman and he slowly tuned out the conversation as he took in their surroundings. They passed by a room that looked like a grand hall for the prayers and services. He could briefly see the altar, but it was hard to make out exactly how it looked. He could only see the multicolored reflection on the floor from the stained glass roof and he could only imagine how beautiful the whole room must be.

They were lead up the stairs to the second floor of the temple. The general look in the temple was modest, not a lot of extravagant decorations except the prayers on the floor. The only decorations on the walls were paintings of various worshippers and Caesinmor.

“Here is the room for our travelers,” the woman spoke up as she opened one of the doors in the hallway.

“Thank you,” Chan said, nodding his head at the woman. She just smiled, returning the gesture and as she did, the ornaments in her antlers chimed gently. As the rest of them filtered into the room, Chan remained with the woman. “I never asked for your name.”

“Ah, it’s Velphi,” she said, giving them a small nod and the ornaments in her antlers chimed with the movement. “We serve food for everyone in the temple in about an hour, just walk down the stairs and to the right. We are happy to welcome you in our temple, but please consider making a donation to help us through these times.”

“Thank you,” Chan said and Velphi looked them all over, nodding her head before turning around to leave them alone. The door closed with a gentle click and silence filled the small room as they all looked around. It was an empty and square room, but large enough to fit all of them and their bedrolls. It was good enough for them tonight.

“We should settle down and prepare for dinner… and then just sleep,” Chan said, looking over the group. “We have a really long day ahead of us… considering we have to continue by foot.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Woojin said as he crouched down, starting to unpack his bedroll and the others followed suit.

Felix remained silent, deep in his thoughts as he unpacked. He kept glancing up at Chan every now and then, his stomach churning a little every time he did.

“Hey Felix,” Jeongin said quietly, snapping Felix out of his thoughts and Felix looked over to him. Jeongin was sitting down cross legged on his bedroll, looking at Felix with wide eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Felix said, settling down on his own bedroll. “What do you wanna ask me?”

“Do you speak Elvish?”

“I do,” Felix said, nodding slowly. “Why?”

“Who did you learn it from?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head a little. ”I’m just curious because you lived in the human kingdom your whole life, right?”

“Yes I did,” Felix said, a small smile stretching on his lips. “My mother spoke Elvish. A little,” he explained and Jeongin nodded. “And then when I… After she passed away, I met Minho and he’s been helping me a lot.”

“You were pretty good at spoken Elvish though, I only helped you with the written part,” Minho butted in and Felix glanced over to the other half elf. Minho was seated beside him, soft smile on his lips. “You learned that pretty quickly though.”

“Thank you,” Felix said, laughing a little. He kept his gaze lowered, his mind preoccupied and he could barely focus on the conversation. His mind was running wild and he glanced up at Chan. Chan was quiet as the other in their group were all chatting, his eyes fixed at Felix and worry apparent in his eyes. Felix quickly looked down, busying himself with unpacking his things and he tried his best to ignore the stares Chan sent his way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felix couldn’t sleep. He kept staring up into the white roof, waiting for tiredness to creep up on him. But nothing came. He remained wide awake; questions were rushing through his mind. Today had sure been a lot.

Chan was a prince and suddenly everything made sense. He was so important, that’s why he needed to go back.

Felix gut churned uncomfortably. Chan was a prince, prince of the dragons and who was Felix? He was a nobody, a hermit who had previously been banished from his village.

His mind was so loud in his ears and he couldn’t take it. He got up, as quietly as he could so he wouldn’t disturb the others. He glanced down at his robe as it laid beside his bedroll, the dirt gray fabric crumpled up and he decided against bringing it along. He just needed some fresh air. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open as quietly as he could.

The temple of Caesinmor was eerily quiet, dark and as he walked through the halls. His footfall against the marbled floor echoed and he kept glancing around the halls. He walked down the stairs and then stopped, looking both ways. He could either walk towards the back of the temple, or he could walk back to the entrance and the great hall.

After debating with himself for a moment, he turned to head towards the entrance. He wanted to get outside.

Felix carefully pushed the large oak door open, stepping out into the cool summer night. He stood there on the stairs to the temple, looking out over the fields ahead. The moon was full, bathing everything in silver. It looked breathtakingly beautiful. He looked up, to the full moon and the constellations that adorned the dark blue sky.

“Hey,” Chan’s soft voice broke the silence and Felix snapped his head around to see Chan close the door behind him. “What are you doing?” he asked, joining Felix’s side as he looked out over the fields. Felix shifted his gaze back to the sky, letting his eyes wander over all the stars. He could see the Rau and the Hyalm, the two biggest constellations in the sky during summer. He could also see the Mbā, large but faint. It would get more visible as summer passed and winter approached.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Felix murmured as he watched the stars, flinching in surprise as Chan took his hand. Chan’s hand was warm and he immediately brushed his thumb over the back of Felix’s hand.

“Too much on your mind?” Chan asked and Felix just hummed, still staring at the sky. “What’s bothering you?”

Felix kept his gaze fixed for just a second longer before turning to look at Chan. Chan’s brows were furrowed in worry and Felix sighed, running his free hand through his hair.

“I don’t… I-” He inhaled sharply. “You’re a prince.”

“I am,” Chan confirmed, nodding his head. “That doesn’t change anything though. I’m still just me.”

“It changes everything,” Felix said, voice a mere whisper in the cool air. “I’m not… You shouldn’t be with someone like me.”

“What makes you say that?” Chan asked, tilting his head a little as he turned to face Felix. He reached out to take Felix’s other hand, holding both of his hands in a tight grip. “What do you mean when you say ‘someone like me’? You saved me, you left the safety of your home and risked everything for me, without even knowing me. You tired yourself out for me, to help me recover from my injury.”

“I-”

“When you say I shouldn’t be with someone like you… maybe you’re right,” Chan said, a soft smile stretching on his lips as he kept his gaze locked with Felix’s. “I do not deserve you. The world does not deserve you, Felix.”

Felix’s breath hitched and he felt his chest tighten. He blinked, not wanting to cry but his vision was quickly getting blurry due to the tears.

“I’m so in love with you,” Chan whispered, letting go of Felix’s hand to instead cradle his face. “And I know I’m not worthy of you, but I’ll do my best.”

“I love you,” Felix whispered, closing the gap between him and Chan to kiss him. He let his eyes fall shut as his lips moved softly along with Chan’s with no rush in the world. They had so much time. Chan moved his hands to rest them on Felix’s waist, tugging him a bit closer as Felix placed one of his hands on Chan’s cheek.

As they parted, Chan’s lips brushing over Felix’s and Felix’s breath hitting Chan’s lips in short puffs of air, Chan murmured something. It was in draconic, the language guttural and with an underlying growl in it.

“What was that?” Felix asked, leaning his forehead against Chan’s.

“Vorel,” Chan whispered, slowly to make sure Felix could hear exactly what he said. Felix smiled, pressing a short kiss on Chan’s lips before his eyes fluttered open to meet Chan’s.

“What does that mean?” Felix could feel a smile stretch on his lips and he could feel Chan’s breath ghost over his lips.

“Beautiful,” Chan murmured, kissing Felix. Felix laughed against Chan’s lips, tears welling up in his eyes again. “How do you say it in Elvish?” he asked, voice low and rumbling in his chest.

“Mírya,” Felix whispered, his chest feeling so warm and his heart too big for his ribcage. “Naridë mírya,” he continued, kissing Chan again.

“I love you,” Chan said, rubbing his thumb over Felix’s hip as he pulled Felix a little closer so their chests were pressed flush together. Felix brushed his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone, a giggle slipping past his lips. “How do you say ‘I love you’ in Elvish?”

“Melinyel,” Felix said, the word rolling off his tongue smoothly.

“Melinyel,” Chan repeated, pronunciation choppy and the word sounding way harsher than how Felix had said it.

“Perfect,” Felix said in between giggles, his nose brushing against Chan’s. “How do you say it in Draconic?”

“Zu'u ag fah hi,” Chan said, slower so Felix could hear each and every word. The language was so different from Elvish, harsh and guttural instead of soft and melodic. Felix repeated the words slowly, way softer than Chan had pronounced them and he knew it was very incorrect. “You tried,” Chan said, pressing a kiss on Felix’s nose.

“Is it directly translated to I love you?” Felix whispered, looking into Chan’s eyes. Chan’s eyes crinkled as he smiled and shook his head a little.

“It would directly translate to ‘I’ll burn for you’,” Chan said, pressing his lips against Felix’s. Felix hummed against Chan’s lips, brushing his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone before moving his hand to the back of Chan’s head, tangling his fingers in the curls.

“That’s sweet,” Felix murmured against Chan’s lips before pulling back a little. He let go of Chan’s hair, moving his hand to brush Chan’s hair away from his forehead. “But please don’t,” he said, keeping his eyes locked with Chan’s. “I’d like to keep you for a long, long time.”

“Don’t worry,” Chan said, cradling Felix’s face in his hands. “I intend to stay for a long time.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you so much for letting us stay,” Chan said, giving Velphi a nod. The woman smiled as she looked over the nine of them.

“Bless your hearts,” she said softly, nodding her head and the ornaments chimed softly as she moved. “May fate be with you,” she continued.

“Thank you,” Felix breathed, taking Chan’s hand. Chan glanced over to him, smiling as Felix gave his hand a squeeze. “Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank us,” Velphi said, straightening her back. “The mother sent you our way.”

“We’ll be on our way then,” Chan said, giving Velphi a last nod before they all turned around to leave the temple of Caesinmor behind.

They walked in silence for a while, Felix holding Chan’s hand in a tight grip. His stomach churned uncomfortably as they got back on the road. He stared into the far distance, into the unknown and he took a deep breath.

“Should we avoid the road?” Minho asked after a moment of silence.

“Maybe it’s for the best if we do?” Woojin added and Jeongin hummed in agreement. “You mentioned that we had to hide from the green dragons, right?”

“Right,” Changbin said, nodding his head a little.

“So maybe we should avoid the road?” Woojin continued. “Because the fields are mostly open and the road is _very_ open. Maybe we should hide among the bushes and rocks and whatever we can?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jisung said, glancing over to Chan. “We don’t know if the green dragons are out scouting and if they are, they will find us easily. We need to try and keep the element of surprise.”

“Yeah,” Minho hummed as the group all stepped off the road, heading towards the thick bushes and large rocks. This would keep them hidden from air view, at least a little. “What’s the plan today?”

“We travel as close to Silmator as we can,” Chan said and the group all hummed. “And then we make camp and make sure we get a good night's rest.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Seungmin said, nodding his head a little. “I guess we just have to walk then.”

“Yeah,” Chan said, glancing over to Felix and he gave Felix’s hand a light squeeze. Felix bit his lip before breaking out in a small smile. He was still feeling bad about what fate had planned for them, but being with Chan made him feel better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hyunjin?” Felix asked as they walked over the fields. They had moved away from the roads, sticking to hiding behind large rocks, hills and groves. Hyunjin was looking around their surroundings as he was walking beside Felix.

“Yes?” he asked, taking his eyes off the nature around them to look at Felix.

“Do you…” Felix trailed off, chewing nervously on his bottom lip. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, tilting his head a little. “Do you have any magic? I don’t mean to be rude but… I’m curious.”

“I do,” Hyunjin murmured, nodding his head a little. “Not a lot but I can heal.”

“Really?” Felix asked, eyes wide and Hyunjin nodded. “Just healing?”

“I do a little…” Hyunjin trailed off as he slowed down and then stopped walking. Felix watched with curious eyes as Hyunjin crouched down. He moved his hand over the ground, murmuring something under his breath and Felix widened his eyes. A small flower was slowly rising from the dirt, blooming as it turned up to face Hyunjin. “It’s not a lot but-”

“That’s amazing,” Felix breathed, eyes wide and fixed at the flower. It was a small lily of the valley, the multiple bell like flowers moving gently in the breeze.

“You have some magic too, right?” Hyunjin asked and Felix took his eyes off the flower. He nodded, eyes still wide as he looked at Hyunjin. “Want me to teach you?”

“Yes please,” Felix said eagerly, nodding his head. Hyunjin laughed as they stood up.

“I’ll teach you later when we stop to set up camp,” Hyunjin said, smiling widely. Felix nodded, momentarily taken as realization washed over him. He had found friends. Friends willing to help him with his magic. The thought made him feel so warm on the inside. “Come on,” Hyunjin said, snapping Felix out of his own thoughts as he patted him on the arm. “We should catch up with the others.”

Felix looked ahead, at the rest of the group as they continued to walk towards Silmator. He glanced at Hyunjin, giving him a nod before the two of them began to run to catch up. Felix couldn’t help but smile as he ran, happiness blooming in his chest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silmator was growing closer and if they continued in this pace, they would reach it by tomorrow evening. Felix wasn’t sure what to feel or to expect when they got there but he didn’t have a good feeling about it.

However, he had little time to dwell on it as Hyunjin pulled him aside as soon as they had finished dinner.

“So what can you do with your magic?” he asked, sitting down in the grass. Felix blinked, biting his lips as he followed suit and sat down cross legged in front of Hyunjin. Hyunjin was waiting patiently, eyes curious as he looked at Felix.

“I mostly just heal,” Felix said slowly and Hyunjin nodded. “I don’t know if I can do anything else with it…” he admitted, shrugging. “I haven’t tried.”

“You weren’t trained in magic?”

“No,” Felix said quickly, shaking his head. He fiddled a bit nervously with his fingers, pressing his lips together before speaking again. “My mother was just a human. She didn’t know much about magic. I kind of just taught myself what I could.”

“I see,” Hyunjin said slowly, nodding his head slowly. “I don’t know a lot either but… but we have innate magic, right?” Felix nodded. “So that gives us the ability to reach out to the world around us, and grab a hold of the magic.”

“What do you mean?” Felix asked, tilting his head a little. Hyunjin frowned, keeping quiet for a second.

“So the Eruvafendë cuts the deities and the other worlds off from our world, right?” Hyunjin said and Felix nodded. “But think of it as a fence with holes between the boards where the magic of every other realm seeps through.”

“Alright,” Felix said, still not really understanding where Hyunjin wanted to go with it.

“Humans, at least most of them, lack the ability to sense and use the magic around them. We’re descending from creatures of magic and we’re able to use it because it’s in our blood.”

“Oh.”

“When you heal, you manage to absorb the tiny particles of magic around you and use them,” Hyunjin explained and Felix nodded slowly.

“So what does it mean if I…” Felix trailed off, furrowing his brows and glanced down before looking up to meet Hyunjin’s gaze. “What does it mean if I start bleeding when I use my magic?”

“I don’t really know, sorry,” Hyunjin said, biting his lip. “I guess it means you’ve used too much magic, but if its because you only use your own magic or there’s not enough magic around you to absorb and use. I don’t… It doesn’t happen to me.”

“I see,” Felix murmured, nodding his head a little. “So I just… reach out?”

“Yes,” Hyunjin said, smile making its way up on his face again. “Let’s start with a flower.” Felix nodded, shifting his gaze to the soil on the ground. “Concentrate, try to drown out the rest of the world and just feel the pulse of magic. It might not be a lot because we’re so far from all the known rifts, but try to feel the magic.”

Felix exhaled, keeping his eyes fixed on the soil. He held out his hand, fingers twitching tentatively as he tried to connect to the magic. He had never done this before; he had never even reflected over the fact he was able to touch the magic around him. At first he didn’t feel anything, but then he felt something. His eyes widened and he froze for a second. It felt like a tingle at his fingertips and he exhaled shakingly.

“Now move your focus to the soil, feel the magic in the ground,” Hyunjin instructed and Felix did as told, focusing down into the ground. He could still feel the slight tingle, just a little more muted than it had been in the air. “Can you feel it?” Hyunjin asked and Felix nodded. He was starting to drown out Hyunjin’s voice and it felt like his ears were filled with cotton. “Now pull.”

Felix’s fingers twitched and he closed his hand slowly. At first nothing happened and he held his breath as they waited. When the soil started to move, he inhaled sharply. A small snowdrop was slowly pushing through the dense soil, petals opening up to face Felix.

“I did it,” Felix breathed, eyes wide as he looked at Hyunjin. Hyunjin was smilied widely, nodding his head.

“You did!” he said, clapping his hands together before reaching out to ruffle Felix’s hair. “Good job.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Felix was beaming as he and Hyunjin returned. He felt tired, like he was on the edge of magic exhaustion, but he just felt so overwhelmingly happy. The fireplace was crackling peacefully as Hyunjin laid out the silver thread around the camp. Felix felt so thankful that Hyunjin was able to make the barrier as well because Felix was running out of energy.

“Hey,” Chan said as Felix joined him on the bedrolls. “What did you and Hyunjin do?” he asked, placing his hand on Felix’s cheek and brushed his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. “You look really happy.”

“Hyunjin helped me with my magic,” Felix said, unable to hold back the wide grin. Happiness was coursing through his veins and it felt like he was bursting at the seams. He leaned closer to Chan to press a kiss on Chan’s lips. “Look at this,” he continued, pulling back from Chan.

He focused on the ground, brows furrowing as he tried to feel the magic again. When the tingle sparked at the tips of his fingers, he shifted his focus lower and exhaled. The dirt moved as a flower broke through, pale yellow petals opening to reveal a brighter yellow inside. Felix smiled as he looked between Chan and the primrose.

“Would you look at that,” Chan cooed and Felix’s chest felt even warmer as Chan reached out to brush his fingers over the delicate petals. “It’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Felix said, blinking as tears welled up in his eyes. “I’m really happy.”

“You’re amazing,” Chan said, taking his eyes off the flower to look at Felix. He placed his hand on Felix’s cheek, gently bringing him closer to kiss him. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Felix whispered, nuzzling his nose against Chan’s. “We should sleep.”

“We should,” Chan said, letting go of Felix cheek to lay down. Felix followed suit, placing his head on Chan’s chest and he laid close to Chan. “How are you feeling?” Chan asked, threading his fingers through Felix’s brown hair.

“Happy but also nervous,” Felix murmured, the exhaustion catching up with him and washing over him like a tidal wave. “I don’t… I don’t know what to expect.”

“Neither do I,” Chan whispered and Felix hummed, placing his hand on Chan’s chest, resting it over his heart. “I pray Hyunjung found her backup in Myllin.”

“I hope she did,” Felix said, turning his head a little to press a kiss against the fabric of Chan’s shirt before resting his head on Chan’s chest again. “I’m just praying we’ll make it out alive.”

“We will, vorel,” Chan said and Felix’s heart squeezed as Chan spoke in Draconic. “I made a promise to you. I will do everything in my power to protect you and stay by your side,” he continued, craning his neck so he could kiss the top of Felix’s head.

“I will do everything I can to stay with you,” Felix murmured, voice heavy with sleep. He fumbled a little with his hand, warmth blooming in his chest as Chan took his hand.

“Go to sleep, love,” Chan said, voice rumbling in his chest and it was quickly lulling Felix to sleep. He murmured a low reply to Chan but he wasn’t sure if Chan heard him, as sleep claimed him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When they reached the city on the foot of Silmator, the whole city was eerily silent and still. Felix, along with the rest of the group, tensed up and they were on alert. Dread was creeping up on him as they walked through the streets and his heart was beating loudly in his chest. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

"I don't like this," Jisung whispered. "It's way too quiet around here."

"Considering a majority of the city was just betrayed, I think it's understandable why no one's out here," Changbin replied, voice a quiet murmur. Felix looked between the three dragons, swallowing hard as he noted how tense they all were. It was understandable. Chan was walking in front of Felix and leading the group through the streets. Their goal was to get to the castle. If they got the castle, they would have an advantage.

“Stop,” Chan whispered, holding up his hand as he stopped at the corner of a house. The whole group came to a halt and they looked at Chan as he peered around the corner. “The coast it clear.”

They began to make their way across what appeared to be a city square. Felix kept glancing around anxiously, his blood rushing in his ears. The city looked beautiful and it hurt to see it like this; like a ghost town. The city square was rectangular in shape, a speaker’s podium in the direction of what Felix assumed was the castle and surrounded by houses. Most of the houses were made of stone, various symbols carved into the stone but there were also a few wooden houses. Felix bit his lip, swallowing hard as they continued to move across the city square.

“Friends!” a voice suddenly rang out over the silent city square. They all stopped, froze in their place and Felix felt his blood run cold. He swallowed hard as they all turned their attention towards the elevated speaker's podium. A man was standing there, dressed in emerald green, flowy robes. A snarl ripped from Chan’s throat and his whole posture changed as he narrowed his eyes at the man.

“You,” he hissed. As Felix looked closer, he could see it was an older man in maybe his late forties, his black hair short and beard neatly trimmed. “I should have known, Lord Yicuad,” he sneered, eyes narrowing.

“You and your scum of a sister never deserved the throne,” the man hissed, lowering his posture.

“You betrayed your own kin,” Chan growled. Felix looked between Chan and Lord Yicuad. Chan was hunched forward, body tense and muscles twitching. Changbin and Jisung were standing on the other side of Chan, their posture the same and scales starting to appear on their arms. “You betrayed all of us. Not only the dragon but every damn being in this kingdom.”

“The green dragons deserved the throne. But it was given to a runt and his sister. We green dragons deserved more,” Lord Yicuad snarled, body starting to shift with green scales creeping up his neck. “We had to _take_ it.”

“You deceiving worm,” Changbin said, his hands covered with scales and nails growing into claws. “I’m going to tear you to pieces.”

“If you want to be the first one to die, that’s fine with me, charir,” Lord Yicuad spat before shifting his gaze to Chan. “I’ll kill each and every one of you. And I’ll save you for last, pathetic princeling. I’ll save you for last and I’ll rip every one you love to pieces…” he trailed off and held out a hand, pointing his large, twisted claw at Felix, “starting with that one.”

Chan growled, stepping in front of Felix. He replied in draconic, the language so guttural that Felix couldn’t make out what was actual words and what was a snarl. Felix’s heart was racing in his chest and he looked over at Chan. Scales were crawling up Chan’s arm and neck and his eyes were gleaming. He was going to shift.

“Chan,” he said, grabbing Chan’s arm in an attempt to get Chan’s attention. Chan’s gaze remained at Lord Yicuad. Felix’s swallowed hard, dread building up in his chest. “You can’t-”

“I was going to send out scouts to find you, little prince,” Lord Yicuad said, voice twisted and lower as he was slowly shifting. “But you walked in here, right into my grasp.” He chuckled, the sound so sickening Felix’s gut twisted.

A snarl rumbled in Chan’s chest, just as a blue dragon lunged itself towards Lord Yicuad. Everything happened in a flurry as Lord Yicuad shifted, a large and towering green dragon. Felix pulled at Chan’s arm, trying to get him away from the center of the city square. Lord Yicuad was so much larger than Chan and as Felix stared at him, a shiver went down his spine. This was _bad_. As Changbin joined Jisung, more green dragons crawled out from hidden spaces around the square. They were surrounded.

“Chan,” Felix said, his heart racing in his chest. Chan wasn’t focusing on him, he had his eyes fixed on the red and the blue dragons who were trying to head towards the large green dragon. “Chan look at me,” he repeated, voice panicked and he grabbed Chan’s face. “You can’t shift,” he pleaded. “You can’t-”

“Felix,” Chan said, voice just as panicked as the smaller green dragons were heading towards them. “I have to.”

“No-” Felix begun but he was cut off with Chan kissing him.

“I love you,” Chan said before pulling away from Felix’s grasp. Felix’s heart was pounding in his ears, his whole body trembling violently as Chan ran towards the large dragon. One of the smaller green dragons swiped a clawed hand towards him and Felix’s heart stopped for a second. Chan easily ducked under it before shifting.

The black dragon took two steps, the ground shaking as it did, before it took off. A roar tore through the air and Lord Yicuad turned its attention to him. The green dragon growled, lowering its stance before lunging towards Chan.

“Felix!” Woojin yelled, grabbing Felix’s arm to pull him out of the way as a spray of poisonous gas were directed towards them. “We need to get out of here!” he continued, still yelling over the chaos around them.

The ground shook as Jisung was thrown into one of the stone buildings, taking the whole house down with him. He stood up in the rubbles, snarling as the green dragon that was charging at him.

Jeongin was right behind the group as they ran, trying to get away from the open space. His eyes were flickering and his hair seemed to be on fire. Felix was so confused, looking around and trying to focus. He almost missed the look Jeongin gave Woojin and the small nod that Woojin gave Jeongin. As they continued to move to the side, Jeongin turned around and ran towards the center of the square.

Felix had never seen a phoenix. He had heard of them but as the large bird presented itself in front of them, he almost lost his breath. The bird was as large as the smaller dragons, the feathers on its wings twinkling in the golden light of the setting sun while the long feathers on its tail was actual fire.

“Come on!” Hyunjin said, pulling Felix along as he, Woojin, Minho and Seungmin ducked behind a building. This one was still intact and not too close to the chaos. “What do we do?” Hyunjin asked, back pressed against the wall as Seungmin peered around the corner, eyes darting around as he assessed the situation. “We have to help them!”

“I can’t do anything. At least not to dragons this size,” Woojin said, voice trembling and eyes flickering around.

“I can heal, somewhat,” Minho said and Hyunjin nodded, looking over to Felix.

“I don’t- I can barely heal,” Felix said. He was terrified and frustrated that he couldn’t help. Minho was holding onto Felix as Hyunjin and Seungmin looked at each other, seemingly trying to work out what to do.

“You take Woojin and bring him to safety, I’ll keep Felix and Minho around,” Hyunjin said and Seungmin nodded, grabbing Woojin’s hand to pull him away. Felix stared at Hyunjin, his blood rushing in his ears. “We need some healers around here.”

Felix nodded, swallowing hard.

“So we just… stick around and out of sight?” he asked and Hyunjin nodded, pressing his lips together. Hyunjin took a deep breath and Felix could hear him mutter something under his breath but he couldn’t make out exactly what it was.

“Let’s… I know it’s probably a bad idea but we have to be on each side right now,” Hyunjin said, peeking out from behind the building. “If you go that way and I’ll head this way… we should be able to cover the area well enough. We should make sure Chan, Changbin, Jisung and Jeongin don’t get too injured.”

“Sounds fair,” Minho said, tightening his grasp of Felix. “Let’s go.”

Hyunjin gave them a last nod before turning around, running the opposite direction. Felix swallowed hard, his heart in his throat as Minho pulled him along. The roars and general chaos from the center square was still sounding, so loud it was almost deafening.

As they ran, a green dragon suddenly appeared on the top of one of the buildings. Both of them stopped, eyes wide and they backed away as the dragon opened its mouth. Felix could see the green, poisonous gas gathering but before it had the chance to attack them, a golden dragon landed on top of it, causing the house to crumble below as the spine of the green dragon snapped like a twig.

Felix looked up. Dragons were heading their way, various colors on their scales. Screech and roars were ringing in Felix’s ears and he was snapped back to reality as Minho pulled at his arm again.

They needed to stay out of as much problem as possible, as this was way out of their league. As they ran, Minho let go of Felix but Felix kept close to Minho and the two of them ducked behind one of the few wooden buildings. Felix sent Minho a glance before looking out from behind the building. He scanned the city square that had now turned into a battlefield. There were so many dragons fighting and it was hard to tell which ones were on what side.

His heart was hammering in his chest as he looked for Chan. In all the chaos, he couldn’t find him. What if he-

Another crash was heard as Jeongin was thrown into the building they were hiding behind. Both Minho and Felix stepped back, pulling up their cloaks to shield their faces from the splinters from the impact of the large phoenix. Felix was about to open his mouth, to ask Minho what they should do, but his whole body locked in place as the remains of the house caught on fire.

Felix’s mind went blank and he could only see the flames. Every sound was drowned out and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes.

He needed to move, he needed to get away from here but he _couldn’t_.

He was pretty sure he could hear Minho’s voice, muffled and distant among the chaos. His chest felt so tight. He couldn’t breathe.

A loud crack snapped him out of his daze and Felix inhaled like he had just come up for air. Everything flooded back to him. He could hear everything again and he could hear Minho calling his name as he pulled at Felix’s arm, trying to pull him away from the burning house. Felix looked around the battlefield, his heart hammering in his chest as he continued to look for Chan.

Then his blood ran cold.

Chan was on the ground and Lord Yicuad was hovering over him.

“I-” Felix began, looking at Minho who was holding onto his arm. Minho stared back, eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” Felix said, pulling his arm away from Minho and he took off in the other direction. He ran past the burning remains of the house, stopping when he got a better view. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and he reached out a hand towards Chan and Lord Yicuad.

Chan was being pinned to the ground by Lord Yicuad, his back legs kicking uselessly as he struggled and twisted his body around under his grasp.

With Hyunjin’s words in the back of his head, _reach out, feel the magic and pull_ , Felix glanced up into the air above the two dragons. His hand was trembling as he focused on the magic, trying to find the buzz of it. He swallowed hard, his skin prickling when he felt the now familiar tingle in his fingers. He focused on the sky, clenching his jaw as he closed his hand and _pulled_.

A loud thunder clap echoed over the city as it impacted the huge, green dragon and Felix knees gave up under him. It felt like his head had split in two and he could feel his nose bleeding. His vision went blurry for a second as he looked at Chan and Lord Yicuad. Lord Yicuad moved back, another roar sounding as he looked around who had been responsible for the thunder. As he was distracted for just a second, Chan got back up on his feet and lunged at him, jaws open as he tried to get a hold of Lord Yicuad’s neck.

“Hey!” a stressed, female voice came and Felix snapped his head to the side. She had a round face, her green eyes wide as she looked around the battlefield and blonde hair hanging in her face. She pushed it back as she reached Felix, grabbing his arm. She helped him up, studying him intently. She had a straight nose, small lips and her thin eyebrows were furrowed as she looked him over. “Are you okay?”

“Jiyeon!?” Hyunjung spoke before Felix could reply and he looked over to the queen of the dragons. She was looking just as panicked as Felix and the other woman, Jiyeon, with dirt and blood all over her black dress and face. “Felix?” she said, eyes falling on Felix as she approached them. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to help Chan,” Felix said, looking around. The fight was escalating in size as more and more dragons joined and he could hear growls, roars and screams from everywhere in the city.

“Is he Chan’s…” Jiyeon trailed off, glancing over at Hyunjung. Hyunjung’s jaw was tense as her eyes darted around, seemingly assessing the situation.

“He is,” she replied, giving Felix a worried glance. “You need to get to safety,” she said, giving Felix a pat on his cheek before taking a deep breath. “I’m putting an end to this now.” With that, she turned around and began to run towards Chan and Lord Yicuad. Felix could see the huge green dragon towering over the houses and occasionally Chan appeared as the two wrestled.

“Nice to meet you Felix, I hope you survive this,” Jiyeon said, giving Felix’s arm a pat before sprinting after Hyunjung.

Felix watched as the two of them ran, Hyunjung shifting into the black dragon that Felix had seen before, almost the size of Lord Yicuad but leaner. It took off, dust kicking up as it flapped its large, green leathery wings. Jiyeon followed suit, shifting into a golden dragon. It was smaller than Hyunjung, about Chan’s size and slimmer. It had a long neck, golden horns curved backwards and its wings were wide, taking on a greenish hue and they continued like a sail on each side down the tail of the dragon.

This was the dragon that had killed the green dragon earlier.

The two dragons both headed towards Lord Yicuad and Felix held his breath as Hyunjung pounced. Like a cat she dug her claws under the scales of the green dragon, using the element of surprise to her advantage and she immediately clamped her jaws down around his neck. Jiyeon was right behind, landing on Lord Yicuad’s back and aiming for the wing. The large green dragon reared back, standing up on its hind legs and twisted its neck around, jaw snapping as it tried to get Hyunjung to let go. It had probably been pinning Chan down, as Chan rose up from behind the still standing houses.

With a roar, Chan rose up to grab a good hold on the green dragon’s neck, pulling down and a big chunk of the dragon’s throat followed. Both Hyunjung and Jiyeon let go of it as it pulled away, a pained and gurgling sound coming from it as it flapped its wings.

It took to the sky, heading away from Hyunjung, Chan and Jiyeon. As it rose above the houses and the smoke, Felix could see all the injuries. Blood was seeping out from multiple wounds, most of them centered on its stomach, and scales were missing in patches.

It was as if the whole battle had stopped and everyone were just watching the green dragon struggle for air. It almost looked like it was drowning, twisting its body in the air. But then Hyunjung bolted from where she had been, knocking the green dragon out of the air. The two dragons landed on the center square, the ground shaking and dust kicking up as they impacted and that snapped Felix out of it. He backed away, quickly ducking behind what remained of one of the stone houses. Despite being hidden, he could still see Hyunjung pinning Lord Yicuad to the ground. The green dragon struggled weakly under the black as the black dragon opened its jaws, ripping out the green dragon’s throat with a sickening sound.

There was a pause as Lord Yicuad’s body went limp and a roar echoed across the city. Felix looked to the sky, watching as the green dragons all quickly retreated. But despite that, the chaos around Felix still continued. He looked around, his mind shifting focus to one thing only.

Chan.

He immediately looked over to where he had last seen Chan, but he couldn’t see him anymore. He took off, drying the blood off his face as he ran. He didn’t slow down until he rounded the corner of a nearly intact house.

“Chan!” he called out, voice weak and he coughed. The smoke from all the fire, poisonous gas and acid was everywhere and he tried his best to cover his face as he walked through thicker parts of the smoke. Chan should be here, somewhere at least. He continued to walk through the ruins, getting more and more lost as he looked around. “Chan!” he tried again, feeling tears well up in his eyes from the smoke in the air.

“Felix!” a familiar voice called out and Felix snapped his head around. Jeongin rushed up to him, Changbin and Jisung close behind. All of them were beaten and bruised, but they looked okay. Changbin had a cut over right his eye and dried blood was covering half of his face. “Are you okay?” Jeongin asked, cradling Felix’s face in his hands. “You’re bleeding,” he said, wiping more of the blood away from Felix’s face.

“I know,” Felix whispered, swallowing hard. “Woojin is with Seungmin,” he said and Jeongin nodded, relief written all over his face. “Have you-” Felix choked on a sob bubbling up in his chest. “Have you seen Chan?”

“No,” Jeongin whispered, letting go of Felix. He looked over his shoulder and both Jisung and Changbin shook their heads. Felix nodded, dread washing over him and his chest tightened. Without another word, he turned around to go back to looking for Chan.

He could hear the others call out Chan’s name behind him but he quickly drowned them out. He needed to find Chan. His stomach twisted uncomfortably and tears were welling up his eyes. As he climbed over the rubbles of a house, he finally laid eyes on Chan.

Chan was still in dragon form, the scene so painfully familiar to Felix. The large black dragon was laying on its side, breathing heavily. He cried out Chan’s name as he ran through the rubbles but there was no reaction.

“Chan,” he breathed, falling to his knees beside the head of the dragon. “Please open your eyes,” he whispered, placing his hand on the dragon’s snout. At that, the dragon reacted and Felix breathed a sigh of relief. “Please shift back,” he said, brushing his hand over the rough scales.

The dragon watched him for a moment with hazy, yellow eyes. Felix continued to brush his hand over the scales, his chest tightening. What if Chan couldn’t shift back? There was a pause, a moment of silence and relief washed over Felix when Chan shifted back. As the tension let go of him, emotions washed over him and he moved over to Chan’s side.

Chan’s breathing was shallow, eyes closed as Felix laid his head in his lap. Felix brushed his fingers over Chan’s cheek as a sob slipped past his lips. Chan's face was bloody and bruised, but he was alive and relief washed over Felix.

“Love,” Chan breathed, eyes fluttering open. “Do not cry for me.”

“You could-” Felix hiccuped, the words getting stuck in his throat. Chan’s eyelids were heavy, eyes hooded as he looked at Felix with a soft smile on his lips. Felix felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. “I could have lost you,” he finally got out, cupping Chan’s cheek and brushing his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone. “You knew the risks,” he cried, bowing his head.

“I did,” Chan said weakly, his fingers brushing over Felix’s jaw and Felix looked up to meet his gaze.

“Then why-” Another sob tore through his chest and more tears welled up. “I was so scared,” he whispered, voice wavering. “Why did you do it?”

“I did it to protect you,” Chan whispered and Felix’s breath hitched. Chan made an attempt to sit up and Felix helped him. In the end, Chan was laying in Felix’s arm, his piercing, yellow eyes locked with Felix’s. “I have to protect you.”

“You could have been stuck as a dragon,” Felix whispered, brushing the back of his hand over Chan’s bruised cheek. “Or you might be stuck as a human from now on.”

“It was a risk worth taking,” Chan murmured, taking Felix’s hand in his. “You’re worth it." He looked over Felix's face, eyes so soft it broke Felix's heart. "You're bleeding, vorel."

A sob bubbled in Felix’s chest and he tightened his grip around Chan’s fingers, bringing his hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss on the back of Chan’s hand. There was a pause, a stillness in the air and the only sound was Felix’s quiet sobs.

“Nothing,” Felix began, his voice wavering and he took a deep breath, trying to control his voice a little. “Nothing could ever have prepared me for you,” he whispered and Chan laughed, giving Felix’s hand a weak squeeze. “But I’m thankful to fate. For bringing you to me.”

Chan laughed again, breathless laugh as Felix held him close. “Keep finding me,” he whispered, only for Felix to hear. “When I get lost,” he gave Felix’s hand another squeeze, “find me.” Felix exhaled, breath shaky and tears rolling down his cheeks as he leaned down to kiss Chan. “Bring me home.”

“Always,” Felix sobbed, brushing his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone. “I’ll find you, over and over again.”

Chan remained silent, small smile on his lips and he reached up a hand to dry the tears off Felix’s cheek. Relief was finally washed over him and as he cried out all the fear he had been carrying, he felt that everything would be fine. They would be okay.

They were home.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE'RE ALMOST THERE UWU and goddamn i hate writing fight scenes... why do i insist on fight scenes everywhere dfkjfdjk
> 
> Thank you all for reading <3 ily
> 
> pinkpunchmango @ twt and cc


	5. I will follow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Everything eventually comes to an end, but the stories will live on._

 

 

 

 

 

The cheering was almost deafening and Felix felt really out of place as he looked around the courtyard. The castle had survived most of the chaos, only parts of the wall surrounding the courtyard had been torn down. There were people everywhere, dressed up in fancy clothes with delicate embroideries. Despite being dressed up, in white robes with flowers embroidered onto the fabric and a flower crown adorning his head, he felt like he didn’t fit in. He nervously brushed a hand over the sheer fabric of the sleeve. He was thankful that the neckline was high, collar high enough to hide his scars but Chan had suggested he’d wore sheer sleeves in the hot summer and for some reason, Felix had agreed. He was starting to regret that now.

He could feel people looking at him, he could hear the murmurs as he passed them by. As he stopped in front of the large, slightly elevated stone circle, he could feel the stares on him. He shifted a bit uncomfortably, deciding to look at the stone circle instead. It resembled a stage or a slightly elevated podium with draconic carved into the smooth, dark gray surface. 

He looked out over the edge of the cliff. He could see the Almárëa Telf below, golden in the height of the summer and he let his eyes wander over his surroundings, taking in the fields, the mountain and then the sky. It was a beautiful and warm summer afternoon, the sun creeping lower on the sky. There were a few clouds on the sky and as Felix let himself stare towards the beautiful sunset, he could see an unkindness of ravens fly across the sky. 

“This is exciting,” Minho said, snapping Felix out of his own thoughts. He turned around to see Minho, dressed in a simple white shirt along with pale green pants, silver buttons down the front of them. “I’ve never been to a coronation before.”

“Me neither,” Hyunjin said eagerly as he grinned at Felix. He was wearing rather simple robes for the dressed up occasion. They were a pale, pale blue that almost looked like it was white, with silver embroideries on the sleeves. His flowers were blooming around his head, a beautiful array of colors and Felix couldn’t hold back the smile.

“I think none of us has,” Jeongin pointed out as he and Woojin joined Minho and Felix. Jeongin was dressed in black pants and a red jacket, golden epaulettes dangling as he moved. Woojin was wearing a more muted green color, golden embroideries adorning the whole jacket. 

“Except maybe Changbin and Jisung,” Minho said and Felix hummed, nodding his head a little. 

“Yeah we had to attend Hyunjung’s coronation,” Jisung said, causing Felix to jump in surprise. He hadn’t noticed Jisung, Changbin and Seungmin walking up to them. “Seeing as we’re Chan’s personal guards.”

Jisung and Changbin was wearing identical outfits, black leather armor with a short, one shoulder cape adorned with the crest of the kingdom. Seungmin was wearing white, a very pretty contrast to his golden scales, Felix noted. His jacket looked similar to Jeongin’s, golden epaulettes swaying as he moved. 

“Do we just wait now or…” Seungmin asked, trailing off as he looked between Changbin and Jisung. Both of them had their hair effortlessly brushed to the side and Felix’s gut twisted a bit as he saw Changbin’s right eye. The right eye, previously a bright orange, was almost completely white. They had tried to save his eye, but the injury had been too severe and they had been too late with proper healing magic.

“Yeah I think,” Changbin said and Jisung nodded in agreement. It didn’t seem like the lack of vision was bothering him that much though. “The priest isn’t even here yet.”

“The priest?” Woojin asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Yeah,” Jisung said. “We have a priest of Ux Athear,” he continued, switching over to draconic to pronounce the name. Felix frowned and he glanced over the rest who looked just as confused as him.

“It’s the draconic name for Hér Telempë,” Seungmin said and Jisung grinned widely, nodding his head. “I didn’t know he had priests though,” he said, tilting his head a little. “Is he a deity or..?”

“He’s pretty much a deity at this point,” Changbin replied with a shrug. “People has built him shrines and temples and since he’s the Lord of the dragons, it’s only fitting to have his priests bless our leaders.”

“What’s going to happen to Hyunjung though?” Minho asked, furrowing his brows. “If Chan is crowned king, what does that make her?”

“She’ll be sharing the responsibility of the kingdom,” Changbin said. “It’s not entirely uncommon for our kingdom to have two rulers who are related. Neither has to step down nor do they have to marry.”

“Humans are odd,” Jisung added, scrunching his nose. “The whole idea of the king and queen having to be married is odd.”

“Dunno,” Woojin said, shrugging as a sheepish grin made its way up on his lips. “It’s what I grew up with, I never questioned it.”

“And we lived in a pretty small village,” Jeongin added, shrugging a little. “These kind of things never really concerned us.”

Jisung opened his mouth but before he could speak, trumpets were sounding and the large gathering of people all fell silent. Felix turned around, watching as the sea of people slowly parted. 

A man was walking through the corridor of people, dressed in silver robes that almost reflected the golden light of the setting sun. Behind him was Hyunjung, holding a round iron crown in her hands. She was dressed in a black lace that reached all the way to the ground, a train following her as she walked and a poncho with golden embroideries on top of the dress, holes cut out for her arms. She was wearing a golden tiara, her head held high and the slightest smile tugging at her lips. 

As Felix took his eyes off Hyunjung to look at the person behind her, his breath hitched and his heart stuttered. 

Chan’s hair was combed, neat curls framing his face and he was wearing a black leather armor, much like the one he had been wearing during their travels but this was was adorned with delicate, golden patterns. A cape was draped over his shoulders, fur adorning the shoulder part of it before the long, black fabric stretched out behind him like a train and the front of the cape was decorated with golden detailed embroidered into the fabric. His posture was proud, his face serious as he walked behind Hyunjung. 

When the three of them reached the center of the stone circle, Chan took the position of the center while Hyunjung and the priest moved to the side. There was a short pause and Chan looked over the people in front of him, his expression still serious as he took everything in. When he laid his eyes upon Felix and the two of them locked eyes, a small smile stretched on his lips. Warmth bloomed in Felix’s chest and he bit his lip to hold back the wide grin that was threatening to stretch on his lips. 

The priest began to speak, his voice loud and clear but in draconic and Felix immediately turned to look at Jisung who was standing beside him.

“He’s greeting everyone,” Jisung translated, voice hushed. The priest continued to talk and it slowly dawned on Felix that the whole ceremony would be in draconic. “He’s just talking about the war and how it seems like the humans are giving up in the south. He’s also thanking the human kingdom of Autumnwen for their support in the war and…” Jisung trailed off, leaning a bit closer to hear what the priest said. “He’s saying something about Autumnwen being our ally in a peace treaty with the other kingdoms.”

Felix nodded, leaning back a little to listen to Jisung’s translation while keeping his eyes fixed on Chan. There was another pause and the priest looked over at Hyunjung. Hyunjung took a deep breath, letting her eyes wander over the people in front of her before speaking.

Hyunjung spoke Draconic in a softer way, but it was still deep and guttural.

“She’s talking about the importance of two rulers in this kingdom,” Jisung translated. “She’s saying that Chan should have been crowned earlier but now with everything that has happened, he has truly proven himself worthy of ruling this kingdom along with her.”

Felix nodded, eyes flickering over to the priest briefly before looking back at Chan as the priest began to speak once again. It sounded like he was asking questions and Chan, keeping his gaze locked with Felix’s, replied.

“He’s asking if Chan is willing to give this kingdom his everything and Chan said he was willing to sacrifice everything in order to protect his people.”

The priest continued, reaching to grab a hold of the silver necklace that had been resting against his white robes. As he spoke what sounded like a prayer, Chan bowed his head a little and closed his eyes. Hyunjung inhaled deeply before placing the dark iron crown on Chan’s head. He straightened his back and the sea of people around Felix all begun to applaud and cheer.

Chan glanced at Felix before raising a hand, effortlessly silencing the crowd. There was a moment of silence as he looked the crowd over.

“I am thankful to all of you for fighting in this war, and for you to accept me as one of your rulers,” Chan spoke, switching over from Draconic. “But I want you all to know that I could not have gotten this far without these people,” he continued, holding out a hand towards Felix and the rest of the group. “These brave individuals put everything at risk to try and help us. Most of them come from other places, but they still helped to defend us.”

Another cheer erupted from the crowd and Felix glanced around, still feeling rather out of place but as warm smiles greeted him, he felt his heart grow a little lighter.

“There is a person I would like to introduce further,” Chan continued and Felix turned to face Chan, eyes widening in realization. “Felix, would you come up here?”

Felix looked around, nervousness washing over him again. The warm and gentle smiles quickly turning into curious looks and Felix felt small under their gazes. Jisung gave his shoulders a gentle push and Felix took a deep breath before joining Chan, Hyunjung and the priest. Chan glanced over to the priest who immediately moved to the side, giving Felix space to stand beside Chan.

When he turned to face the crowd, his arm brushed against Chan’s and Chan immediately took Felix’s hand in his.

“I want to introduce you all to my  _ noachi _ ,” Chan said, the last word obviously in Draconic as he all but growled it out. Felix just blinked. “This is Felix.”

Felix wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do and he just tightened his grip of Chan’s hand. Felix let his gaze wander the crowd before settling on the group of friends. Jisung sent him a wink and Changbin was just grinning. 

Before Felix could do anything, Hyunjung began to speak again, addressing the crowd in Draconic. It felt like he could take a breath of relief as the attention was taken off him.

“Should I have said something?” he asked, leaning closer to whisper to Chan.

“No,” Chan replied softly, rubbing small circles on Felix’s hand with his thumb. “I just wanted to bring you forth and introduce you so people know who you are.”

“Oh.”

“It’s mostly to prevent rumors,” Chan continued and Felix nodded mutely before looking out over the crowd again. “You may have people coming over to talk with you during the party.”

“Party?” Felix asked, still keeping his eyes on the crowd and the grip of Chan’s hand tight. “It’s not over?”

“No,” Chan said, voice laced with amusement and Felix looked back at him. Chan’s eyes were soft, full of adoration and it made Felix’s heart feel so warm. “An event like this requires a celebration, love.”

“Makes sense…” Felix said, trailing off as nervousness bubbled up again. He took a deep breath, trying to push it down. Everything was going to be fine.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


Despite the fact that everyone at the party were all very welcoming and warm, Felix quickly slipped away from the main event to get some peace and quiet. He found himself at a balcony on the other of the side of the castle, just by the crumbled outside wall. He could still hear the music playing from the courtyard, muted and at a distance and that was nice.

He sighed, placing his hands on the railing as he leaned forward a little and turned his eyes to the sky. It was a cloudless night, the full moon so bright on the sky along with the tiny glimmers of the stars. The Rau and the Hyalm were getting fainter by the day while the Mbā were getting clearer as autumn was approaching. He could also see the Wendë, one of the two autumn-winter constellations, appearing on the dark sky. As he looked over the stars, he stopped to frown.

Felix had studied the stars for a long time. All that time in the forest alone had given him time. He had spent a lot of time with the forest and the stars. He knew how the constellations looked, all year round.

But something was off. There was a slight shift in the constellations and Felix tilted his head. It was as if something had changed.

“Irthiski,” a voice said, deep and rumbling, and Felix snapped his head around. Chan was standing on the balcony, closing the glass doors behind him. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Felix hummed, glancing back to the sky as Chan walked over to him. The slight change in the stars were bothering him a little. 

“What’s on your mind, love?” Chan asked, placing a hand on Felix’s waist to pull him a bit closer. Felix placed his hands on Chan’s arms, warmth blooming in his chest and he pressed a kiss on Chan’s lips. 

“Just needed some space,” he murmured as he pulled back, letting go of Chan’s arm with one hand to brush some of Chan’s hair away from his forehead. His eyes lingered at the crown on Chan’s head, “Are you happy?” he asked, looking back to meet Chan’s eyes. 

“I’m home and you’re with me,” Chan said, placing his free hand on Felix’s cheek and he brushed his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. “I’m very happy,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose against Felix’s. Then he pulled back, worried expression making its way up on his face. “Are… you happy?”

“I’m-” Felix cut himself off, biting his bottom lip. “I’m not unhappy. I’m with you and the others. I’m with people who love me. I’m just… not used to all of this.”

“It’s a bit overwhelming,” Chan cooed, reaching up to brush his fingers over the flowers in Felix’s flower crown. “You’ll get used to it.”

“I hope I do,” Felix whispered, sighing. There was a pause as the two of them just looked at each other. In the distance, music picked up again. This time it was a very slow song, accompanied by soft vocals. 

“Would you do me the honor?” Chan asked, chuckling as Felix tilted his head in confusing. “Can I have this dance?”

“Oh,” Felix said softly, feeling his cheeks heat up a little. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“I’ll teach you,” Chan said, pressing a kiss on Felix’s nose. “Just take my hand, like this,” he began, taking Felix’s right hand in his left. “And place your other hand on my shoulder,” he continued and when Felix placed his hand on his shoulder, Chan placed his on Felix’s back and tugged him a bit closer. “And we just sway.”

“That’s it?” Felix asked, looking at Chan with wide eyes as they began to sway along to the distant music. Chan hummed, his eyes so soft as he looked at Felix and Felix’s heart squeezed almost painfully.

“Melinyel,” Chan whispered, his pronunciation smooth and gentle. Felix’s heart fluttered and he was unable to hold back the wide smile.

“Melinyel,” he murmured, keeping his gaze locked with Chan’s. “I still can’t say it in Draconic,” he continued and Chan laughed. “Did you get help with the pronunciation?”

“Minho helped me,” Chan confirmed, nuzzling his nose against Felix’s. “I love you so, so much.”

“And I love you,” Felix murmured, closing his eyes as he and Chan swayed to the distant music. “With my heart and with my soul… I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


“What are you so secretive for?” Felix asked as Chan pulled him through the long hallway. The walls were dark and of stone but lit with candles that provided a very warm light and instead of feeling like a dark dungeon, it felt like a home.

“I had something prepared for us,” Chan said, unable to hold the smile off his lips as he stopped by one of the doors in the hallway. It was a wooden door, much like the others, but this one was adorned with gold inscriptions. Chan let go of Felix’s hand, letting him take a step towards the door. He reached out to brush his fingers over the golden letters that spelled out  _ ‘mélamar’ _ .

“Home,” he breathed, feeling tears gather as he moved to touch the Draconic letters. His lips were trembling and his heart racing in his chest. 

“Okarthel,” Chan read, placing his hand on top of Felix’s. “Home,” he continued and Felix turned around to look at Chan. “I told you I would bring you home, didn’t I?” he whispered, reaching past Felix to push the door open. “I’m not… I had them prepare it for us today… I hope you’ll like it.”

Felix swallowed hard, turning around to look into the room. It was dim, with only the moon from the outside illuminating it through the large window along with a flickering orange light from inside the room. He glanced back at Chan who just offered him a small, soft smile. His heart was still racing as he stepped inside the room.

It was a bedroom, ceiling high and room wide. There was a large bed made of dark wood, pale silk sheets that reflected the silver light of the moon. The room was still sparse with furniture beside the bed and two dressers, not surprising everything considered but in the opposite side of the room from the bed was a fireplace, a fire crackling softly as it provided some extra light along with the moon. 

“We can get more furniture later,” Chan said, snapping Felix out of his daze. “Do you like it?” he asked, reaching out to take Felix’s hand. 

“It’s our home,” he whispered, giving Chan’s hand a squeeze as his chest tightened. “I love it.”

  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


Felix’s eyes fluttered open as soft lips were pressed against his cheek. He was greeted by a bright light and he squinted as he got used to the light around him. The first thing he saw was the pale, high ceiling of their room. His heart fluttered at the thought. 

“Good morning,” Chan whispered and Felix shifted his eyes over to look at Chan. Chan was laying on his stomach, looking down at Felix with soft eyes. The sun was filtering in through the windows on the side of the room, illuminating Chan from behind and his blond, curly hair looked like a halo around his head. Felix’s heart fluttered and his chest tightened. He reached out to place his hand on Chan’s cheek, brushing his thumb over Chan’s cheekbone. 

“Good morning,” he replied, voice a mere whisper and thick with emotions. Chan closed his eyes, leaning into Felix’s touch. “How was your sleep?”

“Very good,” Chan murmured, eyes fluttering open to meet Felix’s. They were both quiet for a moment before Chan leaned down to press a kiss on Felix’s lips. “How was your sleep?” he murmured, lips brushing over Felix’s.

“Good,” Felix breathed, shifting a little in bed. “It feels nice to sleep in a bed again.”

“Do you think you could get used to this life?” Chan asked, leaning back to look Felix over. There was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes and Felix sucked in a sharp breath. He moved his hand from Chan’s cheek to press his palm over Chan’s heart. There was a pause and he could feel Chan’s heartbeat under his hand, strong and steady. He gently pushed at Chan’s chest and Chan made no attempt to stop him. He just let Felix flip them over, soft smile on his lips as Felix leaned down to nuzzle his nose against Chan’s. 

“I do not doubt that I will,” he murmured, moving to rest his head on Chan’s chest. Another silence rang through the air, a very still and peaceful silence, and Chan’s hand slowly found its way to his hair. “Wherever you go…” he trailed off, brushing his fingers down Chan’s side before letting it rest over the scar from the healed wound, “I will follow.”

Chan didn’t reply, but Felix could hear and feel his breath hitch as his chest moved ever so slightly. Felix rubbed gentle circles on the scar as Chan placed his hand on top of his. 

“I love you,” he murmured, his chest rumbling and Felix could feel a smile stretch on his lips and his heart squeezed in his chest. He rested his head on Chan’s chest for a moment, just listening to his breathing and the peace of morning.

He lifted his head a little, turning it to press a soft kiss on Chan’s bare skin. “I love you,” he murmured, his lips still ghosting over Chan’s skin. “I’ll follow you, to the end of existence.”

“I love you,” Chan murmured, threading his fingers through Felix’s hair. There was another pause, a moment of comfortable silence. “I have to leave later today or tomorrow,” he said quietly and Felix hummed.

“The peace treaty?” he asked and Chan hummed. Felix brushed his fingers along Chan’s side as Chan took a deep breath. “You’ll be back soon right?”

“Hopefully,” Chan said and Felix nodded a little, even though Chan probably couldn’t see it. “I’ll come back as quickly as I can. Maybe I’ll go home in between meetings if I have to.”

“It’s okay,” Felix said, pressing another kiss against Chan’s skin. “You’re doing it for your people and for peace. I will be right here, waiting for you to return.”

“When I return,” Chan began and Felix lifted his head to look at Chan. Chan fell silent, just watching Felix’s with gentle, yellow eyes. Felix moved again, to half lay on top of Chan’s chest and he leaned down to kiss Chan. “When I return, I will give you my full attention,” he murmured as they parted and Felix’s heart swelled in his chest. “I’ll bring you gifts and I’ll spoil you.”

“No need,” Felix whispered, nuzzling his nose against Chan’s. “You are enough. You’re all I want and all I need.”

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


Getting used to his new life was… tough and when Chan left, Felix felt so lonely and out of place. He preferred to stay in their room, occasionally moving to the library down the hall. It was a smaller, more private library and it offered Felix some sense of security.

“Felix?” a soft voice rang through the air and Felix looked up from the book he was reading. Jiyeon sat down in front of him at the table. “I didn’t expect to see you here,” she continued, a soft smile stretching on her lips. “How are you?”

“I’m good,” Felix replied slowly, closing his book. “You?”

“I’m very good, thank you,” Jiyeon said, eyes softening as she looked him over. “I realized we never got properly introduced… I’m Jiyeon.”

“I’m Felix.”

“It’s very nice to meet you Felix,” Jiyeon said, the gleam in her eyes never dimming; not even the slightest. “I’m sorry we haven’t had this conversation earlier. Everything happened really fast there, didn’t it?”

“It did,” Felix said, placing the book to the side and he pulled his hands back to hide them under the table. “A bit too… fast maybe.”

“You have a hard time adapting?” Jiyeon asked, tilting her head a little. Felix stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly. “I guess Chan being absent doesn’t really help.” Felix shook his head. “When the treaty is settled and signed, I have no doubt that Chan will return to give you his full attention.”

“I know he’s busy and that it’s for a good cause. I shouldn’t feel like this…” he trailed off, swallowing hard. “I just… I feel a bit lonely though.”

“It’s understandable,” Jiyeon said, offering Felix a warm smile. There was a pause and Jiyeon let her eyes wander over the bookshelves around them. “How did you and Chan meet? Hyunjung mentioned something about Chan being injured but she didn’t go much further than that.”

“He…” Felix trailed off, a smile slowly making its way to his lips. “He fell from the sky one day. He was injured and I took care of him. Then he needed to get back to his kingdom and I just…” He shrugged. “Decided to help him.”

“You’re a very kind soul, Felix,” Jiyeon said and Felix could feel his cheeks heat up a little. “Hyunjung was really worried when he didn’t show up with Jisung and Changbin. They had no idea where he had gone.”

“Are they close?” Felix asked, voice small as he looked at Jiyeon. “Hyunjung and Chan I mean?”

“They used to be,” Jiyeon replied, expression growing a bit serious. “But then their parents were killed in the war, Hyunjung had to step up to take responsibility over the kingdom and they just… grew apart. Hyunjung loves Chan a lot, but there is a tension between the two of them. A lot of the tension comes from the war and I do not doubt that things will start to look up with the peace treaty signed.”

Felix nodded, biting his lower lip. “How do you know Hyunjung?”

“I’m from a family of nobles. I used to attend a lot of the events here at the castles and I was the only one who was around Hyunjung’s age,” she explained, the warm smile returning on her face. “So we started off by playing together as kids, becoming friends as teenagers and… and falling in love as adults.”

“Oh,” Felix said softly and Jiyeon laughed, eyes twinkling. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize i-”

“Don’t worry about that,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “We may be engaged but we’re still required to act… like we’re not madly in love when we’re in public.” As she spoke, Felix caught the soft gleam of a ring around her left ring finger.

“Congratulations,” he said softly, offering Jiyeon a small smile. He was starting to feel a bit more comfortable in her presence. “When do you… When is the wedding?”

“Probably this autumn,” she said and Felix nodded. “I hope it’s this autumn. We’ve been engaged for a few years now and I just… I just want to get married. I love Hyunjung with all my heart and I just want to seal it, you know.”

Felix nodded. He understood. He really did.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


“How are you adapting?” a voice asked, snapping Felix’s out of his own world. He took his eyes off the flowers in front of him and turned to look at whoever had just spoken. Changbin was standing a few meters away from him, smile on his face and arms crossed. He was wearing his uniform, the black leather armor with the crest of the Kingdom adorning the chest. “My prince,” he added after a heartbeat of silence. Felix just waved his hand in the air, grimacing. 

“Don’t call me that, please.” Changbin just raised an eyebrow. “It’s…” Felix trailed off, licking his lips as he thought for a second. “I’m adapting but it’s a bit odd, especially with the… title.”

“I can imagine,” Changbin hummed as he moved to sit down beside Felix. “What are you doing?” he asked, a spark of curiosity appearing in his eyes. Felix felt a pang of guilt in his chest each time he saw Changbin’s eyes. 

“I was just looking at the flowers,” Felix said, turning his attention back to the plants. “I was hoping to find some roots here but nothing really grabbed my attention. There’s a lot of decorative flowers here, not many for medicine.”

“I assume their only purpose is to be there for decoration,” Changbin said, eyes fixed at the flowers. “We have our clerics, we have no use of herbal medicine.”

“Understandable,” Felix said, nodding his head a little and he let his eyes linger on the flowers for a moment before looking at Changbin. “Can I leave to go and collect plants?”

“Of course you can,” Changbin said, shrugging. “This is not a prison. But you should probably take someone with you, preferably me or Jisung, and tell Chan or else Chan might execute someone. That someone is most likely going to be me or Jisung. He might be away right now but he would kill someone if something happened to you.”

“I’ll probably ask Minho or Hyunjin to join me,” Felix said, cheeks heating up a little in embarrassment at Changbin’s words and Changbin nodded, not looking entirely happy. “And I’ll make sure to tell Chan about leaving so he won’t execute you or Jisung.”

“Thank you,” Changbin said as they stood up. “My prince,” he added, bowing and Felix groaned. A teasing grin stretched on Changbin’s lips as he straightened his back.

“Please no title,” Felix said, shoulders slumping and he frowned at Changbin. “I don’t even- I’m just  _ with _ Chan. It’s not like we’re married.”

“Yet,” Changbin pointed out, eyebrow raised and Felix’s stomach swooped at the mere thought. He quickly shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought. He wasn’t a royal in any way. Being with Chan was one thing, but marrying him..? That didn’t seem realistic. “Well,” Changbin continued, shrugging again. “We’ll see what the future have in store for us, eh? No need to overthink things now.”

“You’re right,” Felix said but he could feel himself sink deep into his own thoughts and doubt was starting to creep up on him. 

“I’ll see you late, my prince,” Changbin said, giving Felix a nod. Felix didn’t bother to correct him. He vaguely registered Changbin leaving but he had his focus on the flowers on the ground in front of him, deep in his thoughts. 

Was he enough?

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How familiar are you with these woods?” Minho asked as he followed Felix through the thicker parts of the forest. 

“Not very familiar at all,” Felix said and Hyunjin hummed as he pushed a bush to the side to step through. “I thought it would be nice to explore it though.”

“Very nice,” Hyunjin confirmed. “I prefer the nature over the city.”

“Understandable,” Felix said, dusting some dirt of his dark green robes. He felt more comfortable like this, dressed in dark clothes that were stained by dirt. He felt at home, but the pale and clean clothes he was dressed in at the castles were starting to feel less uncomfortable. He figured he would get used to it by time. “Maybe you should go back with Seungmin the next time he visits?”

Seungmin still lived in the Tremorndin mountain range but he did come to visit frequently. It made sense, as he already had a house and a living back in the mountains. He wasn’t running from anything like the rest of them had.

“I was thinking about it,” Hyunjin said and Minho hummed. “I think I need to get back to nature. But living in a city has taught me a lot. I’m very grateful.”

“I see,” Felix said, stopping as his eyes caught the sight of a familiar plant. He crouched down and gently reached out to touch it, tilting his head as he inspected it to make sure it was the right plant. “How about you, Minho?” he asked, eyes still on the plant. “Are you settling in?”

“I am,” Minho said as Felix gently pulled at the plant, trying to get as much of the roots with it as possible.

“Still working at the supply store?” Hyunjin asked and when Felix looked up, he could see Hyunjin studying one of the trees.

“Yes,” Minho replied, eyes wandering around the forest. “It’s… It’s great to work in a place that actually allows magic and doesn’t have me shunned for it.”

“Yeah,” Felix said absentmindedly as he stood up. “We really found a place for ourselves here, didn’t we?” he continued as Minho walked up to him. Minho placed a hand on his shoulder and Felix looked over at him. Minho was smiling, eyes so much brighter and less tired. He looked happy and content with life.

“We really did,” he said, glancing out over the forest again. “We really did.”

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  
  


The sun stood high on the sky, gazing down on the Silmator with its warm rays. Birds were chirping around Felix as he was sitting on the grass in the garden, freshly picked flowers spread out around him.

“Jisung?” he said, looking up from the flower crown he was making. Jisung, standing on the side in the shade, hummed and raised an eyebrow. “What does noachi mean?”

Felix wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he had expected from Jisung but Jisung doubling over and bursting out in laughter wasn’t one of the possible reactions he had in mind. He wasn’t sure what to think and Jisung’s reaction only made him more confused. Chan had called him noachi. Was it something funny?

“I can’t believe it took you this long to ask about it,” Jisung said as he straightened his back. “I kind of figured you had asked Chan right after the coronation.”

Felix’s cheeks heated up and he averted his eyes. “I kind of forgot about it,” he admitted slowly and Jisung snorted.

“I’m not surprised though,” he said and Felix snapped his eyes back to look at him, eyes wide. “You two are so focused on each other,” Jisung explained and Felix’s warm cheeks grew even warmer. 

“What does noachi mean?” Felix repeated, wanting to change subject and get to the point. 

“Do you want the meaning of it or the actual direct translation?” Jisung asked, stepping out of the shade and into the sun to join Felix on the grass. 

“Both?” Felix said, tilting his head a little. Jisung cocked an eyebrow and Felix just blinked. “Is it a good or bad word.”

“The best word,” Jisung said and Felix let out a soft ‘oh’. “Directly translated it would be ‘little treasure’, but the most common translation is ‘my dear’.”

“I see,” Felix said, nodding his head a little. “But why did Chan call me his noachi in front of everyone? To me it… seems to be more like a term of endearment.”

“It’s the… hm…” Jisung trailed off, rubbing his chin a little. “It’s a term of endearment yes but for dragons it’s like…  _ the _ term of endearment. Am I making sense?” Felix blinked. “It’s a way of… I guess partner for life is the best way to describe it.”

Felix’s eyes widened and he stared at Jisung. “So when Chan…”

“So when Chan said, in front of everyone, that you were his noachi he meant it in a ‘this is my partner, please stay away’ kind of way,” Jisung explained. 

“He-”

“He’s madly in love with you Felix, you know that,” Jisung said calmly. Felix shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts. “You’re madly in love with him too.”

“I am,” Felix whispered, looking down at the flower crown in his hands. “I really am,” he continued absentmindedly, his thoughts beginning to drift off. He felt happy, he felt loved and he felt wanted. “When is Chan coming back?” he asked, looking back at Jisung.

“They’re signing the treaty today or tomorrow,” Jisung said and Felix nodded, his chest feeling warm. He wanted Chan to return so they could talk about this. “He should be back either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he continued, laughing as Felix pouted. “Don’t sulk, little one.”

“Stop!” Felix whined, swatting a hand weakly at Jisung as Jisung stood up. “You’re a day older than me, you can’t call me little one!”

A grin stretched on Jisung’s lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Watch me,” he said, sticking out his tongue. “Little one.”

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


  
It felt like forever, but Chan eventually returned. Felix felt happy, as he had started to find his place in the castle and having Chan by his side made things so much easier. To celebrate his return, Chan had taken Felix out to the forest nearby to just spend some time together.

“It’s beautiful,” Chan said as he looked around the clearing. He was wearing a simple white shirt, top buttons unbuttoned, and simple pants. Summer was starting to come to an end, but the sun was still very warm.

“It is,” Felix agreed, leaning back a little as fixed the bow around his neck. “I really enjoy coming here,” he continued, taking a deep breath before he began to roll up his sleeves. “Although I don’t usually wear white when I’m here.”

“You look pretty,” Chan said, reaching out to brush his hand over Felix’s bare forearm. 

“Thank you,” Felix said, averting his eyes in embarrassment. He was still working on his confidence with the scars but it was a slow process. He could hear a bit of rustle and when he looked up he saw Chan moving to sit closer to him. The gentle and warm look in his eyes caused warmth to bloom in Felix’s chest and he couldn’t help but smile. He moved a little, sitting on his knees to face Chan.

“I missed you,” Chan said absentmindedly, placing a hand on Felix’s cheek and stroked his cheekbone with his thumb. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.”

“It’s understandable,” Felix replied, shaking his head a little. “You’ve helped to bring peace to these lands. I didn’t mind waiting for you. But I missed you too.”

“I love you,” Chan said and Felix murmured a ‘I love you too’, leaning closer to kiss Chan. He could feel Chan smile against his lips, letting go of his cheek to instead place his hand on Felix’s shoulder.

Felix let out a yelp as Chan tugged on his shoulders, pulling him down on top of him. 

“Hi,” Chan said sheepishly, groaning a little as Felix placed a hand on his chest to push himself up a little. Chan laughed, eyes crinkling and smile bright as he looked at Felix. 

“Hello handsome,” Felix said, unable to hold back the wide smile that stretched on his lips. He shifted a little and Chan laughed as he did. “I’m glad we finally could spend time together,” he continued, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Chan’s.

“I promise I’ll make more time for you in the future,” Chan said and Felix hummed, pressing a quick kiss on Chan’s lips before he leaned back to look Chan over again. He brought a hand up to Chan’s face, brushing the back of his fingers over Chan’s cheek. 

“I’d like that a lot,” Felix whispered, smiling widely at Chan. He felt so excited to finally get some more time with Chan.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


There was a official gathering to announce that a peace treaty had been signed and Felix had to join Chan to the event. It felt a bit odd, standing in front of all these people. He wasn’t sure if he liked the attention that he received. Changbin and Jisung were standing close to them, Jisung beside Felix and Changbin beside Chan. Both of them were scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes, or eye in Changbin’s case. 

“You look so unusual in black,” Chan said as he leaned closer to whisper in Felix’s ear and Felix felt a smile tug on his lips. He turned to look at Chan. Chan was wearing a white dress shirt, its collar decorated with various gems and black pants with silver buttons adorning the front. He wore a coat over it all, silver patterns embroidered into the soft fabric. The dark iron crown on his head was surrounded by neatly styled curls and Felix couldn’t help but reach out to brush some of it away from his forehead. 

“You look beautiful,” he said quietly and Chan chuckled, eyes crinkling up into small crescents. “But I do feel a bit unusual in black.”

“You look really handsome,” Chan said, stroking a hand along Felix’s jaw. “I would sweep you off your feet and kiss you if it weren’t for all the people here.”

Felix could feel his face grow warm and he averted his eyes, busying himself with adjusting the wide, black belt around his waist that held his buttoned up, long coat in place. He was thankful for being allowed to wear a shirt with a high collar under the coat, or else it would have exposed parts of his chest. 

“Do you like it?” Chan asked, brushing his fingers over the embroidered flowers on Felix’s sleeve. The whole coat had flowers embroidered on, flowers that Felix had picked out by himself.

“I do,” Felix said, voice soft and barely a whisper and a smile stretched on Chan’s lips. “How does my crown look? Is it in place?” 

“It’s still on your head, love,” Chan said and Felix raised an eyebrow. “It looks good. You look good, don’t worry,” he assured him and Felix nodded slowly. It felt odd, not only with the people around him but also the clothes and accessories he was wearing. The crown he was wearing was more like a diadem than a circle crown like Chan’s. It had been tailored for Felix specifically, the actual crown part of it resembling branches and twigs. It reminded Felix of his old home and despite the memories his old home held, memories of loneliness and sadness, Felix liked it. Nature had and would always be a big part of him and it made him happy to have something representing it.

“Would I ask too much of the two of you if I asked you to save all the love for later?” a voice chimed in and Felix turned around to see Hyunjung approaching. He rarely saw Hyunjung, as she was even busier than Chan, but when Felix saw her she was always dressed up. Today was no exception. She was wearing a long black dress, the dress itself rather plain but the long, white bell sleeves were something that certainly caught Felix’s attention. Black embroideries adorned the sleeves and she held her head high, the tiara gleaming in the sunlight. 

“My queen,” Felix said, eyes widening and cheeks heating up further. He bowed a little and Hyunjung shook her head, amused smile on her lips. Behind her, dressed in a golden dress that reached to the ground with sheer sleeves, was Jiyeon. She too was smiling brightly, green eyes sparkling with happiness. 

“No need for the title, love,” Hyunjung said, patting Felix’s shoulder before looking over to Chan. “Are you ready to share the great news?”

“Yes,” Chan said, giving Felix a last glance before looking out over the large group of people in front of them. He cleared his throat and stepped forward; the crowd immediately fell silent and Felix bit his lip as he tried to hold back the smile. He may not be entirely comfortable with the current situation, but in this very moment, he felt home.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


When Felix woke up, he woke up to a warm body beside him. He smiled, rolling over to his side before opening his eyes. Light filled his vision and he squinted in the bright light before his eyes adjusted. 

Chan was still asleep, his face relaxed and breathing calm. He was laying on his side, facing Felix and Felix’s heart fluttered. He shifted a little, moving closer to Chan. He brushed his hand up Chan’s warm, bare arm before bringing it up to Chan’s face. He let his fingers ghost over Chan’s skin, over his thick brow and then down his jaw.

“Good morning,” Chan said, voice low and scratchy as he opened his eyes. “You look beautiful this morning,” he continued and Felix laughed, happiness bubbling in his chest. He moved even closer, pressing a kiss on Chan’s lips. He could feel Chan smiling against his lips and Felix felt like he was about to burst at the seams with happiness. He placed his hand on Chan’s shoulder, pushing gently so Chan was laying on his back. 

“Good morning, love,” he murmured, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Chan. Chan laughed, placing a hand on Felix’s cheek. He looked at Felix for a moment, eyes hooded and warm as he studied Felix’s face.

“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Chan said, the smile still present on his lips and Felix laughed again.

“I’ve missed you,” he said softly, shifting over to lay on top of Chan and Chan chuckled, his chest rumbling. “It’s been lonely.”

“I’m sorry, love,” Chan said, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheekbone. “I’m here now and I intend to stay by your side.”

“I’d like that,” Felix murmured, moving a hand to brush some of Chan’s hair away from his forehead. “I don’t… I don’t want to be away from you again. You’re… you’re such a big part of my life now.”

“I promise to never leave you again. I will do everything in my power to stay with you,” Chan whispered and Felix bit his lip, feeling his chest tighten at Chan’s words. He wished he could freeze time, to stop everything at this point. If he froze time here, he would be with Chan and the world would be in peace. Nothing would change. Time wouldn’t tear them apart.

“I love you,” he said, voice thick with tears and he blinked. “I love you so much you,” he continued, leaning down to hide his face in the crook of Chan’s neck. “I don’t-”

“I love you too,” Chan replied, wrapping his arms around Felix. Felix sniffled as Chan pressed a kiss into his hair. “I love you. I’ll love you beyond death,” he murmured into Felix’s ear. Felix swallowed hard, nodding into Chan’s neck as he held onto him. He never wanted to let go.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


By now, Felix had gotten more comfortable in large social situations and he felt more at ease while socializing with all the nobles. He knew he should be socializing, to keep a good and strong bond with all the nobles. Hyunjung and Jiyeon’s wedding was no exception. 

The courtyard was beautiful. The flowers so bright in the height of summer. The wall had been repaired and on the slightly elevated round part, where Chan had been crowned king, was a small altar. Rows and rows of chair were lined up in front of the altar and the air was buzzing with chatter. The place felt so alive.

“My prince?” a voice chimed and Felix turned around to see a human woman he had never seen before. Her face was slim, eyes sharp and had a small button nose. She was tall, her skin tan and her brown hair pulled up in a neat braid that showed her round ears. Her clothes were simple, a pale blue dress with silver embroideries and a warm smile on her lips. “I’m assuming you’re prince Felix.”

“I am,” Felix replied, trying his best to keep his voice as steady as possible. He held out his hand and as she placed hers in his, he brought it up to his lips. “I haven’t seen you before.”

“I’m Malwa,” she introduced herself, eyes gleaming as she smiled. “Malwa Bell. I’m here as an ambassador from the human kingdoms,” she explained and Felix let out a small ‘oh’. “I just got here in time to attend the wedding and I’m so thankful for that.”

“It’s really something, isn’t it?” Felix asked and she hummed. “You’ll be staying here in the castle then?”

“At first,” Malwa said, nodding her head a little as she looked around. “If things runs smoothly, we will be talking about me moving to a place of my own. I do not want to be too much of a bother. I just wish for peace and nothing more.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Felix replied with a smile and she nodded.

“If you excuse me…” she began sheepishly. “I think I have a few more I need to introduce myself to before the ceremony begins.”

“I understand,” Felix said, bowing his head. “I’ll see you later,” he continued and Malwa gave him a nod before she turned around to greet other nobles. Felix looked around and a wide smile stretched on his lips as Hyunjin and Seungmin walked up to him. The two of them were dressed up in matching pale green clothes, patterns in white embroidered into the fabric of their robes. 

“Felix!” Hyunjin said, letting go of Seungmin’s arm to hug Felix. Felix opened his arms, laughing as Hyunjin wrapped his arms around his waist to hug him tightly. “You look well! A bit odd in black I must say.”

“Thank you,” Felix said as Hyunjin pulled back. He glanced down on himself quickly, biting his lip as a smile tugged on his lips. He was wearing mostly black, a shoulder cape with golden embroideries and high waisted black pants adorned with golden buttons up the front. The only white he was wearing was the long sleeved shirt underneath the shoulder cape. “Your flowers have changed,” he noted, reaching out to touch the crown of flowers that grew in Hyunjin’s hair. 

“They have,” Hyunjin confirmed as he moved to the side, letting Seungmin walk up to Felix. “They do that as time passes.”

“I see,” Felix hummed, turning his attention to Seungmin. “Hello, Seungmin,” he said, wrapping his arms around Seungmin’s neck. “You look well,” he noted, brushing some of Seungmin’s hair away from his forehead as they parted.

“I am,” Seungmin said, smile wide on his lips. “It feels good to be back here.”

“How are you two fairing?” Felix asked as Hyunjin hooked his arm with Seungmin’s. “Good I hope.”

“Very good,” Hyunjin said and Seungmin nodded. “We have our own house and we just… we provide some healing to the people around the area. It’s paying off fairly good,” he continued and Felix nodded. “How are you and Chan? I’m sorry we couldn’t make it to the announcement of the peace treaty.”

“No, no, don’t worry about that,” Felix said, raising his hand as he shook his head. “We’re doing just fine. I’m very happy now when Chan is back, less lonely.”

“That’s understandable,” Seungmin said, nodding his head slowly. His gaze shifted from Felix to look behind Felix and his eyes crinkled into crescent moons. “Hello Chan.”

“Hello, Seungmin,” Chan said as he joined Felix’s side. He placed a hand on Felix’s waist and Felix’s immediately did the same and pulled him a little closer. “Hyunjin,” Chan continued, giving the two of them a nod. “You two look well.”

“We are,” Hyunjin said and Felix turned to look at Chan. He was wearing a black jacket, longer in the back with a golden trim and embroideries on the front of it with a deep red shirt underneath it.

“You look handsome,” Chan whispered in Felix’s ear as he leaned closer. Felix could feel his face grow a bit warm in embarrassment. Hyunjin and Seungmin were both just looking at them, amused smiles on their faces.

“You’re embarrassing me,” he whispered back to Chan who only grinned wider. Felix took a deep breath, looking around them. “Should we maybe go and sit down? I think the wedding ceremony is starting soon.”

“You’re right,” Chan said, letting go of Felix’s waist to instead offer him his elbow. 

“I’ll see you after the ceremony,” Seungmin said, giving Felix a small nod as he and Hyunjin turned around to find their seats for the ceremony. Felix bit the inside of his cheek as he began to pull Chan towards their assigned seats.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured as they walked towards the first row of chairs. “Stunning.”

“I love you,” Chan said, letting go of Felix’s arm to sit down. Felix sat down beside him and immediately placed his hand on Chan’s thigh. 

“I love you too,” he whispered. There was a pause as the crowd all began to settle and the priest, the same priest that had attended Chan’s coronation hushed all of them. He didn’t speak. He was smiling to them as music began to play. 

Chan stood up and Felix followed suit. They were all standing up as Jiyeon and Hyunjung, arms linked, walked down the aisle that had been made for this purpose only. Jiyeon’s blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, her lace dress tight around her arms and shoulders exposed. The train of the dress was long, beautiful against the dark gray stone as she walked. Hyunjung was also dressed in white, but with pants and a silk shirt with long sleeves instead. She too had a train connected to her shoulders like a cape and her black hair was curled into loose, casual curls. 

Felix’s chest swelled as he looked at the two of them. They looked so happy as they walked towards the altar. He glanced at Chan, his heart fluttering when Chan met his gaze. Felix was young, sure, but he could easily say that this was one of the best days in his life.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


“Hello, love,” Chan said as he walked up to Felix in the small library. Felix took his eyes off the books on the shelf and turned to face Chan. Pale moonlight was filtering through the large windows of the library, reflecting off Chan’s hair as he walked. He looked casual, relaxed with the top buttons of his white shirt unbuttoned. “You look beautiful tonight,” he murmured, placing a hand on Felix’s waist as he reached Felix. 

“Hi,” Felix said, smiling as he reached to take Chan’s free hand. “How are you today? You’ve been busy.”

“Meetings,” Chan groaned, leaning his forehead on Felix’s shoulder. “They weren’t supposed to take this long but they did. The elders had a lot to say and I had a lot of thoughts.”

“It’s okay,” Felix hummed, his other hand coming up to pet Chan’s curly hair. “You’re doing such a great job, love.”

“I feel bad because I can’t spend time with you though,” Chan said, straightening his back to look at Felix. “You’re wearing the shirt I got you,” he pointed out, running his hand up Felix’s bare back. The shirt was a gift from Chan, from when he had returned from signing the treaty. It was a backless shirt, the bodice of it made of lace and a diamond shape cut out at the back. The back part of it was laced with the same sheer fabric that made up the sleeves of the shirt. It was revealing and it had required Felix to muster every ounce of confidence to even put it on. “Do you like it?” Chan asked.

“I do,” Felix said, brushing his hand over Chan’s arm. “I mean you can see the scars but-” He swallowed, a smile stretching on his lips as Chan’s fingers ghosted over his uneven skin. “I like it a lot.”

“It’s very, very pretty,” Chan said, resting his hand on the small of Felix’s back. “White looks really beautiful on you,” he continued, pressing a soft kiss on Felix’s nose. Felix laughed, his eyes crinkling as the smile tugged on his lips.

“Thank you,” he murmured, kissing Chan as the smile remained on his lips. “Are we required for dinner tonight or..?” he trailed off, looking at Chan through his eyelashes. 

“Do you want the servants to bring it to our room?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Felix shook his head, smiling as he brushed his hand up Chan’s arm. 

“I was thinking we could… maybe cook something by ourselves,” he said, laughing as Chan just furrowed his brows. “You’ve never cooked before?”

“I have, but only on the road,” he said and Felix hummed, leaning in to kiss him again. “I never even considered cooking while in the castle. I don’t think I can make anything other than that nice mush we had while we were traveling.”

“Worry not, my king,” Felix teased and Chan snorted, amused smile stretching on his lips. He pressed a quick kiss on Felix’s lips and Felix’s grin grew wider. “I’ll teach you.”

“Thank you, precious little prince of mine,” he murmured, nuzzling his nose against Felix’s. “Do you want to head to the kitchen right away or do you-” Felix didn’t let him finish, he immediately pulled back and grabbed Chan’s hand before he began to tug Chan towards the door. He was excited to spend time with Chan. Chan didn’t say anything, he just laughed and Felix’s heart felt like it was about to burst out of his ribcage.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


“Have you studied the stars, Woojin?” Felix asked, glancing over to Woojin beside him. The dark blue veil of night had covered the sky and the stars were gleaming softly, bright against the dark background. The moon was half full, providing some light to the world below. 

“Some, yes,” Woojin said as he laid back on the grass beside Felix. It was just the two of them in the garden, laying on one of the grass covered spots. Felix had snuck out of his and Chan’s room to go outside to look at the stars and as he had wandered the halls, he had encountered Woojin. Woojin and Jeongin were both still staying in the castle, as they had not really made up their mind yet of where they wanted to settle down. 

“Have you been stargazing lately?”

“Not a lot,” Woojin said softly, turning his head a little to look at Felix before looking back to the sky. “Haven’t really had time. Why?”

“I don’t…” Felix trailed off, biting his lip as his eyes wandered the sky. As the seasons were changing, the Rau and the Hyalm were faint, barely noticeable at this point but he could see the Mbā and the full constellation of the Wendë was now visible. “I think the constellations have changed?”

“Oh?” Woojin said and Felix turned to face him. Woojin’s eyebrows were furrowed and he looked at Felix for a moment before turning back to the sky. “Where do you see this change?”

“Between the Rau and the Hyalm,” he said, raising a hand to point it out for Woojin. “There’s a slight shift to a few stars and I think there’s a new one there as well.”

“Hm,” Woojin said as he studied the sky. “I can’t see anything that different to be honest. Maybe there’s a slight change, but that’s life right? Everything around use changes constantly.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Felix said, dropping his hand into the grass. 

“Maybe it just…” Woojin trailed off, placing a hand on top of Felix’s. Felix hummed, not taking his eyes off the sky. “Maybe it just means that we’ve experienced a change. We have new lives and the world is changing into something better.”

“Oh,” Felix said, his heart growing warm at Woojin’s words and he smiled up to the sky. “Maybe that’s the reason.”

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


Summer quickly became autumn. Lush green quickly faded into various shades of yellow, orange and red. It was beautiful. 

Felix loved autumn. It was something to represent change and maturity and in some ways Felix felt like he had grown up in the past few months. So much had changed in such a short time but Felix felt like he had found a home; he had found a place where he would settle down. 

A gentle knock sounded on the glass doors that led out to the balcony and Felix took his eyes off the forest below the castle, turning around to see Chan step out to join him in the slightly chilly autumn air. 

“My prince,” he said, amused smile on his lips. He was wearing a tailored jacket, form fitting and black with an uneven pattern of white reaching through the middle of the garment and the edges were adorned with gold embroideries, separating white from black. He was wearing a cape as well, high collar and a golden band keeping the cape in place around his shoulders. 

Chan looked more appropriately dressed for the season than him, Felix mused as he looked Chan over. 

“Your highness,” Felix said, bowing as Chan approached him. When Chan reached him, Felix instinctively placed a hand on Chan’s cheek, tugging him in for a kiss. “How are you today?”

“I’m very good,” Chan murmured against Felix’s lips. “How are you, love?”

“Good,” Felix hummed, nuzzling his nose against Chan’s and his heart fluttered as he could feel Chan brush his fingers over his bare shoulder. “Better now that you’re here.”

“You look stunning today,” Chan said and Felix could feel a smile stretch on his lips. “You’re always beautiful but…”

“I really enjoyed this attire,” Felix said and Chan hummed, leaning back to look Felix’s over. Felix bit the inside of his cheek, pulling back his hand to brush it over the embroidered flower on the front of his white, off shoulder top. The sleeves were short, not really suitable for the season and paired with high waisted, green pants. The pants had flowers embroidered on them as well, the fit loose and casual. “I haven’t wandered the castle much today though.”

“You should have,” Chan said, placing a hand on Felix’s waist to pull him in for another kiss. “You’re beautiful and your scars are only a sign of how much you’ve endured.”

“I don’t…” Felix bit his lip, averting his eyes. “I suppose your right. I’m still… working on it.”

“You’re doing so well, love,” Chan murmured, nuzzling his nose against Felix’s. “I love you so, so much.”

“Melinyel,” Felix whispered, smiling as he kissed Chan. He could feel Chan smile against his lips and his heart fluttered again. “I love you so, so much.”

Chan hummed against Felix’s lips before pulling back, smiling widely. “I want to show you something.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Chan said, grin only widening as he took Felix’s hand. “It’s a place in the forest,” he continued, tugging Felix along with him.

Felix furrowed his brows but he didn’t question it, he simply followed Chan as they walked through the halls of the castle. There weren’t many servants around the castle but as they passed by, they bowed to Chan and Felix. It was starting to settle in but Felix still felt a bit odd with this position in the castle. 

“Do you know what this reminds me of?” Felix asked as they exited the castle, heading towards the small forest that resided on the east side of the mountain. It was the forest where Felix went to gather roots and other plants from time to time. 

“What?” Chan said, glancing back to Felix. 

“The night of your coronation,” Felix said just as they reached the outskirts of the forest. Chan stopped, turning around to face Felix. He was still holding Felix’s hand in a secure grip. “When you showed me our room.” He bit his lip, trying to not smile widely as warmth bloomed in his chest at the mere memory of that night. “You were so secretive about where we were going. This reminds me of that time.”

Chan’s eyes went wide for a second before a wide smile stretched his lips and his face relaxed. He gave Felix’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“It’s better than that,” he said, pulling Felix along with him again. Felix just raised an eyebrow but he didn’t question it. He just let Chan guide him through the forest. He had grown quite familiar with this specific forest, considering it was the only forest around them and it was fairly small. He had walked along this path before but never during the golden hour of sunset. It looked beautiful, the golden light illuminating the yellow, orange and red colors of autumn. 

They continued down the path, until they reached a small clearing. Felix smiled as he recalled the memory of the other time they had been here.

“The autumn colors makes it look beautiful,” Felix said as he looked around the clearing. Chan hummed and they came to a stop. Felix let his eyes wander their surroundings for a moment before shifting his eyes back to Chan. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but Chan looked nervous. “Is everything alright, love?”

“Yes,” Chan said, biting his lip. He averted his eyes for a second and Felix raised an eyebrow, feeling worry churn in his stomach. Just as Felix was about to say something, Chan sank down on one knee. Felix’s breath hitched. “Felix…”

“Yes?” Felix said, voice small and merely a whisper as emotions bubbled up in his chest.

“I love you,” Chan said, bringing Felix’s hand to his lips. He pressed a gentle kiss on the top of Felix’s scarred hand, his lips ghosting over the skin before he looked back up to meet Felix’s eyes. “I can’t imagine a world without you nor do I wish to continue living in a world without you.”

Felix could feel his throat closing up and his chest tighten. He blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears that were welling up.

“So I want to ask you, Felix of the Bonamore woods,” Chan took a deep breath, “would you marry me?”

“Yes,” Felix whispered, his voice cracking a little and he let out a shaking breath as Chan stood up. “I want nothing more,” he continued, grabbing a hold of Chan’s jacket as Chan took his face in his warm hands. “I want to marry you,” he murmured, tugging Chan closer.

“I want nothing more,” Chan whispered, pressing a gentle kiss on Felix’s lips. “My precious, precious Felix.”

“I love you,” Felix managed to get out, voice a bit choked up before he repeated it in Draconic. It wasn’t a perfect pronunciation, but he had been practicing and judging by the way Chan’s face lit up, he was close.

“You’re perfect,” Chan murmured, kissing Felix again. Felix didn’t reply as the happiness in his chest swelled even further, preventing him from speaking. Instead he just kissed Chan back, moving his lips softly against Chan’s. He tightened his grip of Chan’s jacket, smiling against his lips. He felt so overwhelmingly happy. 

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


“You look happy,” Jeongin commented as he joined Felix in the reading area of the library. Felix turned his head to look at Jeongin as he sat down, feeling embarrassment creep up on him. He hadn’t realized that he had been staring out into empty space. “What’s going on? Mind sharing?”

“Chan proposed,” Felix said, a wide grin stretching on his lips and happiness exploding in his chest. A wide smile stretched on Jeongin’s lips and his eyes flickered to Felix’s left hand. 

“Let me see,” he said excitedly, holding out his hands. Felix placed the book he held in his hands to the side and held out his left hand. Jeongin took it carefully in his hands, inspecting the ring around Felix’s finger. It was a plain silver ring with Chan’s name inscribed on the inside. It was perfect and Felix wouldn’t want it any other way. “It’s pretty.”

“Thank you,” Felix said, pulling his hand back. He wrapped his fingers around his wrist, holding his hand close to his chest as he felt another smile tug on his lips. 

“It’s nice to see that Chan finally proposed.”

“Finally?” Felix asked and Jeongin raised an eyebrow, not looking impressed at all.

“Listen,” he began, shaking his head as an amused smile made its way up to his lips. “It’s been rather obvious that he would propose to you. For a long time.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Jeongin sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. “He’s been head over heels since… well, to be honest, ever since we met you. And then… I guess ever since his coronation, it was just a matter of time.”

Felix nodded slowly, chewing on his bottom lip as he averted his eyes. “How are you and Woojin doing?” he asked, changing the subject. “Good?”

“Getting better,” Jeongin said, shrugging. “Woojin is still trying to fit in here but since Autumnwen helped out with the peace treaty, it’s getting better. Most of the locals here doesn’t bother him anymore but travelers do,” he explained and Felix nodded.

“That’s good,” he said and Jeongin nodded, small smile tugging on his lips. “Are you still working for the blacksmith or..?”

“Yes we are,” Jeongin replied, nodding his head. “But we’re thinking of branching out. I don’t know if the cold north is really… my kind of thing…” he trailed off and Felix nodded. It was understandable, Felix mused, for Jeongin to feel slightly uncomfortable; especially when the cold, northern winter was approaching.

“Are you going to move?”

“Maybe we’ll just move further south,” Jeongin said, shrugging. “Maybe to the Almárëa Telf somewhere. There were some villages around the temple of Caesinmor, maybe we’ll go there. I just… I need to be somewhere else, at least during winter.”

“I understand,” Felix said, nodding his head a little. “As long as you send us a letter when you’ve settled down.”

“Of course,” Jeongin replied, grinning widely. “Have you decided when to have your wedding? I wouldn't want to miss that.”

“We were planning it during spring,” Felix said, smiling to himself as his heart fluttered in his chest. He felt so excited about it, even though the wedding itself was still months away. “Chan wanted to make sure there was enough time to plan the wedding and all that. And I like spring more than I like winter, so I’m not going to complain.”

“Sounds nice,” Jeongin said, running a hand through his hair. “I like spring too. Not really a fan of autumn and winter, to be honest,” he continued and Felix nodded. “Too cold for me.”

“So I guess you’re happy with the choice of the time for the wedding then?” Felix asked, raising an eyebrow. Jeongin only laughed. Felix’s heart felt warm and his smile stretched even wider. He felt so happy.

  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
  


Felix frowned as he looked over the mountain side. The snow was melting as the seasons changed and the weather got warmer. He had asked Jisung to bring him here, because there was something that bothered him.

The cave.

He wasn’t sure what it was but he felt curious about that cave. He needed to go back, find the temple again and just figure out who the temple was for. Jisung hadn’t questioned him, he just took him to Gwanwen before leaving. Felix had assured him that he would be fine and if he didn’t return before nightfall, they should send someone for him. He had no doubt that Chan would notice his absence and come get him himself.

He rubbed his hands together, trying to keep them warm along with the gloves he was wearing. He wasn’t familiar with the place, not at all but he recognized his surroundings. He was sure this was where the cave had been. However, there was no cave in sight. Where the mouth of the cave had been was now only rock. A sharp rocky wall covered with vines. He had been looking for the cave for almost an hour but found nothing. Sure it was winter, the cold slowly getting to Felix, and that could indeed change how the nature around the mountain looked, but a cave couldn’t just disappear like that.

The loud flapping of wings snapped him out of his own thoughts and Felix looked up to see a very familiar black dragon. As soon as its feet touched the snowy ground, it shifted and Chan approached Felix. He was wearing a thick black cloak with fur around his shoulders, keeping the cold away. It resembled Felix’s cloak, except the color as Felix’s cloak was more orange brown in tone. 

“Hey,” Chan said as he reached Felix, hands immediately finding their way to rest on Felix’s waist. Felix took Chan’s face in his hands, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. Chan’s lips were warm against Felix’s and he hummed into the kiss. “What are you doing here?” Chan asked as he pulled back, brushing some of Felix’s dark hair away from his forehead. 

“I was looking for the cave,” Felix said, glancing in the direction of the smooth, rocky wall. “It’s gone.”

“It’s gone?” Chan asked, raising an eyebrow. Felix just nodded. “A cave can’t disappear like that.”

“I thought so too,” Felix said, letting go of Chan’s face to instead take his hand. “But I can’t find it anywhere.”

“That’s very odd,” Chan said, giving Felix’s hand a gentle squeeze before pulling him along to inspect the mountain side. He looked around, taking in the nature around them. Felix looked too, glancing to the side to see the small grove where they had turned left so many months ago. It was still thick, with a lot of pines and firs but it was sparser than it had been during the summer when they last were here. “It should be here,” Chan said and Felix hummed, eyes lingering on the trees before looking over to meet Chan’s gaze.

“It should,” he said, nodding his head a little. “But it’s not.”

There was a pause and Felix watched as Chan looked back to the direction of where the cave should have been, frown on his face. 

“Maybe…” he trailed off, licking his lips before looking back at Felix. Felix tilted his head, waiting for Chan to finish. “Maybe fate intended for us to find that cave that night and then sealed it off.”

“Maybe,” Felix said, unable to hold back the smile as Chan leaned closer to kiss him. “Fate sure is something, hm?” 

“It sure is,” Chan agreed, cradling Felix’s face in his hands. “But…” he trailed off, brushing his thumb over Felix’s cheek. “There’s not a day that passes by where I do not thank fate, for allowing me to meet you.”

Felix’s heart stuttered, his breath hitching as he stared into Chan’s yellow eyes. “I love you,” he breathed, unable to get anything else out. Chan smiled, eyes crinkling up into gentle crescent moons as he leaned his forehead against Felix’s. “I’m so thankful for fate… for bringing you to me.”

“I love you,” Chan said before repeating it in Draconic, the rough words causing Felix’s heart to flutter. “I love you with all that I am and I promise you…” he trailed off, eyes locked with Felix’s, “to love you and be by your side for as long as I am breathing.”

“I love you so much,” Felix whispered, taking Chan’s face in his hands. He pressed a soft kiss on Chan’s lips before pulling back, looking Chan over. “I can’t wait to marry you.”

“I’m starting to think it was a bad decision to plan our wedding for spring,” Chan murmured, pressing a quick kiss on Felix’s lips. He was smiling, his face relaxed and eyes soft. Felix just took everything in. This was the man he wanted to spend his forever with. “I can’t wait to be able to call you husband.”

“Husband,” Felix said, warmth blooming in his chest as the word rolled off his tongue. “I like that,” he said, nuzzling his nose against Chan’s before letting go of Chan’s face. He turned to look over the mountain side again, over the rolling fields below. 

“I can’t wait,” Chan said, pressing a kiss on Felix’s cheek before looking out over the view in front of them. “It’s beautiful,” he said and Felix hummed, still keeping his eyes on the sky. The sun was setting, painting the sky a beautiful pink and pale blue. It was stunning against the pure white snow. As he let his eyes wander the sky, he could see a small group of birds fly across the sky.

“Are those cardinals?” he asked, furrowing his brows as he followed the nine red birds with his eyes. 

“I think so,” Chan said and Felix let out a surprised little hum. “I haven’t seen any cardinals in a while. Funny.”

“I haven’t either,” Felix said, turning to look at Chan. “Today is an odd day, isn’t it?” he asked and Chan laughed, taking his eyes off the birds.

“Indeed,” he said, brushing the back of his hand over Felix’s cheek. “You’re freezing.”

“It’s okay,” Felix said, smiling widely. “A bit cold maybe.”

“Let’s go home,” Chan said, pressing one last kiss on Felix’s lips before moving back to shift. Felix bit his lip, happiness exploding in his chest and his heart felt like it was becoming too big for his chest.

“Yeah…” he agreed quietly, too quietly for Chan to hear him. “Let’s go home.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THAT'S THAT. Wow pweh this fic really took a good while to finish. It's been around since january and I'm so happy that I finally got to write it and finish it iwi There might be some typos here and there... I tried to catch all of them but iwi 
> 
> Thank you ALL so much for reading TT ily <3
> 
> You can find me on pinkpunchmango @ twt and cc


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